Bob Anderson: The greatest singing impersonator of all time
Doing impressions and impersonations is a skill in itself. Long before deep fakes, there have been folks out there who just seem to be able to slip into someone else’s soul. When it comes to singing impersonations, Bob Anderson is the unrivalled king. This crooner doesn’t just sound like the acts he mimics. He becomes an illusory alternate version of them—a true second Frank Sinatra.
Now, it is hard enough simply to be a good singer, let alone combine that with the inimitable talent of imitation. With Anderson, you get the impression that he could’ve been either, but in his own humorous way, he decided to combine the two—that way, you can see Bobby Darin, Vic Damone and probably even Bob Dylan in the same night, all for one Bob Anderson ticket price.
As the wine-swilling Dean Martin humbly declared: “Bob does me better than I do me.” Sammy Davis Jr also sang his praises, proclaiming: “Vocally, the most accurate impressionist I’ve ever heard. But he also has his own great sound.” And Tony Bennett lauded his act calling him “as fine a talent as there is in the business.”
However, undoubtedly the highlight of Anderson’s career came the night that he had to undertake the task that all impressionists fear the most: impersonating someone who is in the room. When Frank Sinatra and James Dean tagged along to catch his hot new act in Atlantic City, did Anderson falter under pressure?
Did he heck! “I started off with Tony Bennett, then Sammy,” Anderson recalls. With the warm-up out of the way, it was time to really embarrass the front row now. He started off with an impression of Martin. “Frank began laughing. They didn’t think I’d have the guts to do Sinatra, but I did, and he loved it,” Anderson fondly remembers. After the show, Sinatra asked Anderson to sit with them and uttered the fateful praise, “This kid’s got a hell of an act.”
Now, his latest tour involves imitating the late great Sinatra. If you’ve received the backing from ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ himself, then why not? This lofty height began with humble beginnings. His break came when he snuck into the Sahara’s Congo Room in Las Vegas to watch Nancy Sinatra rehearse. What he actually witnessed was the Everly Brothers get into a fierce row, opening a window of opportunity.
The Everly Brothers pulled out of their two-week support spot, leaving organisers in a pickle. Anderson set out to soothe their troubles by emerging from the shadows and offering his singing services. They had little choice but to audition him, and he passed with flying colours. His crooning ways were a triumph. The 23-year-old enigma was a natural performer. And when he was invited back to a Hollywood party for Merv Griffin’s birthday, he didn’t stop in the presence of the guests, imitating their voices.
This bit was lapped up, and soon he was booked by Griffin as the singing impressionist. After all, when you’ve got Cary Grant sitting by the piano like a child yelling, “This is really amazing, I’ve never seen anything like this,” then what choice do you have? With that, his act as the great singing impressionist was born, and the rest is history.
You can check some of it out below.
