Former teen idol makes home in Dunbar Township
Fabian and Andrea Forte
Fabian Forte during his 1950s and 60s heyday as a recording and movie star.
Southwestern Pennsylvania has been the home to many who have garnered accolades in medicine, sports, finance, education, the military, music and other fields.
Almost 15 years ago, the mountains and friendly people of the local area found a teen idol putting down roots with his bride, a Dunbar girl.
At one time, Fabian Forte, now 69, caused teenage girls to swoon as he sang “Turn Me Loose” and “I’m a Man” on the stage of Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” television show.
Today, he occasionally shares the concert stage with a few of his friends performing their hits, but he especially enjoys just spending time with his wife, Andrea Patrick Forte, and their friends and family.
“I love it here,” he said. “Andrea is known, but I’ve been accepted just as someone who lives here and that’s how I like it.”
Daughter of Gladys Patrick and businessman Richard Patrick, Andrea Patrick has blazed her own path in the fashion and modeling industries.
The former Miss Pennsylvania USA and Miss West Virginia America is a model, actress and international advice columnist. She is the chief executive officer and owner of Patrick Talent Agency and editor-in-chief and publisher of Gladys Magazine.
“It keeps me very busy,” she said.
Fabian Forte’s rise to fame began outside his family home in South Philadelphia as he watched his father being taken from their home by ambulance to a hospital.
“My father had suffered a heart attack and my mother had gone with him in the ambulance,” he said. “I had to stay behind to take care of my two younger brothers.”
A record producer driving by stopped, believing that a friend who lived in the neighborhood may have been the victim of the medical emergency.
The then-unidentified man exited his care and offered sympathy to the young Fabian Forte as he watched the ambulance drive away.
The conversation between the two turned to the record business and he inquired if the youngster might be interested in a singing career.
“It was the era of Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson, and this guy was in tune with that,” said Fabian Forte. “I guess I had the ‘look’.”
The timing of his question was not welcomed and the young teen’s response was not a positive one.
Fabian Forte said he basically told the man to get lost.
Not until later did he learn that the inquiries came from Bob Marucci, owner of Chancellor Records.
As his father recovered, Marucci’s friend in the Forte neighborhood, continued to ask if he had changed his mind regarding the offer, but the answer remained the same.
However, when his father ultimately became unable to return to work in the police department, the 14-year-old Fabian Forte reconsidered the proposal.
“(My father’s) pension was $45 a week,” he said. “I was working in a drugstore as a delivery boy making $6 a week and some tips. We were broke.”
He and his parents eventually met with Marucci to discuss the arrangements.
With no musical training, the teenager worked with Marucci’s partner, Pete De Angelis, to develop his skills.
“I loved rock ‘n’ roll and used to sing with the radio and all my buddies used to sing doo-wop on the corner,” said Fabian Forte. “I loved it, but didn’t know what I was doing. I was like a fish out of water.”
After several months, he went into the recording studio to produce his first 45-rpm record, entitled “I’m In Love” with “Shivers” on the flip side.
“It was horrible, but it got me on the Dick Clark Show,” he said.
Regardless of the song’s quality, Fabian, the one-name moniker by which he became famous, was well received by the show’s audience.
A second appearance with a new, but “not-so-good” song, again garnered a strong, enthusiastic response from the viewers.
“With the third song, “I’m a Man,” I got lucky,” said Fabian Forte.
His subsequent hit, “Turn Me Loose” rose to the zenith of the charts and garnered him acclaim in the music business and interest by the movie industry.
His movies included “Ride the Wild Surf” with Shelley Fabares and “Fireball 500” with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.
He also appeared with Bing Crosby in “Hightime” and John Wayne in “North to Alaska” One of his favorite co-stars was Jimmy Stewart.
“He was just one of the guys,” he said. “He would rehearse with me and ask if I was doing my homework. He was a nice man and a great human being.”
The Forte love story, meanwhile, began in Los Angeles, where both were living and working.
He credits his dog Louie for bringing the two together.
“I was in Los Angeles out walking my dog,” he said.
“It was early in the morning and as she jogged by us, Louie started barking at her and she stopped.”
The two struck up a conversation, with Louie and his owner taking great interest in the jogger.
“She didn’t know who I was and that made it even better,” said Fabian Forte.
Not one to forego an opportunity, he inquired if she liked to play tennis and she agreed to do so.
“I told her a little white lie; I didn’t play tennis,” he admitted.
With her address committed to memory, he returned to his home and composed a letter with his contact information. Later in the afternoon, he appeared on her doorstep.
“There he was in these white jeans and white shirt and tennis shoes standing in my doorway,” said Andrea Forte. “I said to myself, ‘This is the man I am going to marry.'”
A single white rose later earned forgiveness for the little white lie and was the start of their romance.
They became husband and wife in 1998 at a ceremony held at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington.
When her mother became ill, the couple made Dunbar Township their permanent residence.
Today, that home is the corporate headquarters for her businesses, while they spend time on the West Coast and at various others venues where he performs with the Golden Boys, including Bobby Vee and Frankie Avalon, stars that had their start on the Dick Clark “American Bandstand” show.
Does he miss the glamor and glitz of Hollywood? His answer is “no.”
“I never was the showbiz type,” he said. “I’m happy to be out here on my tractor or ATV or cutting grass.”