Editing Fabian Forte (section)

===Hit songs===
Marcucci gave a song written by [[Mort Shuman]] and [[Doc Pomus]] to Fabian, "I'm a Man" (not [[I'm a Man (Bo Diddley song)|the Bo Diddley hit]]), which Fabian later said he "liked a lot and was very comfortable with. It was giving me more experience, but I still felt like a fish out of water."<ref name="gold"/>

Pomus' biographer later wrote Fabian's "labored reading of a macho lyric lent him a vulnerability that couldn't have been missed by his pubescent fans."<ref>Halberstadt p 111</ref> The song made the top 40.

Marcucci heavily promoted Fabian's next single, "Turn Me Loose", using a series of advertisements saying "Fabian Is Coming", then "Who is Fabian?" then finally "Fabian is Here".<ref>{{cite news| author=Grimes, William| date=2011-03-18| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01EEDA1E3EF93BA25750C0A9679D8B63| title=Bob Marcucci, 81, Backer Of Fabian and Frankie Avalon – Obituary| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref> It worked and "Turn Me Loose" went into the Top Ten, peaking at number 9.<ref>{{cite book| first=Thomas| last=Doherty| title=Teenagers And Teenpics: Juvenilization Of American Movies| publisher=Temple University Press| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4FxvntQaGcgC&q=fabian| date=June 4, 2010| page=175| isbn=978-1-5921-3787-9}}</ref><ref>Halberstadt p. 113</ref>

This was later followed by "Hound Dog Man", (US #9; [[UK Singles Chart|UK]] #46),<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book| first=David| last=Roberts| year=2006| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCM5AQAAIAAJ&q=editions:Xr7TDBZfCXcC| title=British Hit Singles & Albums| edition=19th| publisher=Guinness World Records Limited| location=London| isbn=978-1-9049-941-07| page=192}}</ref> and his biggest hit, "Tiger",<ref name=pc12>{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19761/m1/ |title=Show 12 – Big Rock Candy Mountain: Rock 'n' roll in the late fifties. [Part 2] }}</ref> which reached No. 3 on the US charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first=Joseph| last=Murrells| year=1978| title=The Book of Golden Discs| edition=2nd| publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location=London| page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/113 113]| isbn=978-0-2142-0480-7| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/113}}</ref>

A review in ''Variety'' of a concert featuring Fabian in early 1959 declared the singer "was undoubtedly the standout of the show, who floors the kids with his gyrations and groans of “Hard Headed Woman,” “I'm a Man,” “Turn Me Loose” and, for an encore, “Stop Thief”."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Fabian's Fx, Brooklyn|date=1 April 1959|page=62|url=https://archive.org/details/variety214-1959-04/page/n61/mode/1up?}}</ref>

Other singles that charted included "String Along", "About This Thing Called Love" (written by a man who went on a crime spree<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1961-11/page/n304/mode/1up?|magazine=Variety|title=Philly songwriter who cleffed Fabian song|date=29 November 1961|page=1}}</ref>) and "This Friendly World", which reached No. 12 on the US charts. At age 15, he won the Silver Award as "The Promising Male Vocalist of 1958". His first album, ''Hold That Tiger'' reached the top 15 within two weeks.<ref>{{cite news| author=Daly, Sheila John| title=New Idol of the Rock 'in' Roll Set| newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune|Chicago Daily Tribune]]| date=June 7, 1959| page=C 18| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96750069/chicago-tribune/| access-date=March 1, 2022}}</ref> The song "Think of Me", although it did not chart in the US, was a big hit in some Asian countries including Sri Lanka in 1964. A review of ''Hold That Tiger'' in ''Variety'' stated, "Fabian is a hardbelting rocking singer who has the faculty of projecting his emotions. Fabian's voice is only adequate but be delivers with a beat that is undeniably commercial. Fine backing by combo and chorus lend an important assist."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|title=Hold That Tiger|date=13 May 1959|url=https://archive.org/details/variety214-1959-05/page/n117/mode/2up?|department=Album reviews|page=54}}</ref>

In October 1959, he toured five major cities in Australia<ref>{{Cite news |date=1959-10-14 |title=FABIAN IS ON HIS WAY |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47511348 |access-date=2024-07-10 |work=Australian Women's Weekly}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FABIAN Forte And the lesson he was taught - The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) - 28 Oct 1959 |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44799325 |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Trove |language=en}}</ref> including several concerts in Sydney that were turned into the Australian film, ''[[Rock 'n' Roll (1959 film)|Rock 'n' Roll]]''. Due to a contractual dispute, however, his appearance was quickly removed from the film. That same year, Forte told a judge he was earning $250,000 a year ({{Inflation|US|250000|1959|fmt=eq|r=-3}})<ref name="legal">{{cite news| title=Fabian Given Legal Approval for New Movie| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]| date=December 19, 1962| page=27| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96750251/the-los-angeles-times/}}</ref> though an earlier report put this at $137,000.<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=Variety| url=https://archive.org/details/variety220-1960-11/page/n218?q=fabian+marcucci| page=1| date=23 November 1960| title=Fiscal Facts About Fabian}}</ref> He kept up his studies and graduated from high school in June 1960.<ref>{{cite news| first=Thomas| last=Macdonald| title='Old Grad' Crosby Cuts A New Campus Caper| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/04/24/archives/-old-grad-crosby-cuts-a-new-campus-caper.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=April 24, 1960| page=X 9| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

During the [[payola]] scandal of the 1960s, Forte testified before Congress that his recordings had been doctored electronically to "significantly improve his voice".<ref>{{cite book| last1=Bogdanov| first1=Vladimir| last2=Woodstra| first2=Chris| last3=Erlewine| first3=Stephen Thomas| title=All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-pH4i3jXvAC&q=payola| publisher=Hal Leonard Corp| year=2002| page=384| isbn=978-0-8793-0653-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.music.com/person/fabian/1/biography| title=Fabian| website=music.com| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311064716/http://www.music.com/person/fabian/1/biography/| archive-date=11 March 2007| date=July 31, 2010}}</ref>

His career in music basically ended when he was 18 after he bought out of his contract<ref name="storyofthestars.com">{{cite web| url=http://www.storyofthestars.com/fabian.htm| title=The Music Index – Fabian Interview| publisher=Story Of The Stars| access-date=2012-04-11| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310070932/http://www.storyofthestars.com/fabian.htm| archive-date=2012-03-10| url-status=dead}}</ref> with Marcucci for $65,000.<ref name="hops">{{cite news| author=Hopper, Hedda| author-link=Hedda Hopper| title=Fabian Chucked His Singing Career To Follow a Dream| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96752056/san-antonio-express/| newspaper=[[San Antonio Express]]| date=August 2, 1964| page=6 H}}</ref> This was announced in July 1963.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Fabian to merc|page=57|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1963-07/page/n121/mode/2up?|date=July 1963}}</ref>

In 1974, he said, "I felt controlled. I felt like a puppet. It was frightening, like a three-year nightmare."<ref name="hunt">{{cite news| first=Dennis| last=Hunt| title=Fabian Back in Singing Biz| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96752265/the-los-angeles-times/| date=July 5, 1974| page=F 11}}</ref>

Marcucci later admitted to punching Fabian on one occasion when the singer sat in the aisle of a movie theater, not in the middle of the row like Marcucci had asked; Fabian was spotted by a teenage fan who screamed. Marcucci was angry that he did not see the film and hit the singer.<ref name="idol">{{cite news| author=Farley, Ellen| title=The Story Of Frank And Fabe And Bob| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96752827/the-los-angeles-times/| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=November 23, 1980| page=X 30}}</ref> In 1963, he signed a contract with Dot Records.<ref>{{cite news| author=Hopper, Hedda| title=Fabian's Forte May Be Singing--Acting Is Next| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| date=April 21, 1963| page=N 6}}</ref> He spent the next thirteen years concentrating on acting.

Fabian later said in 1971 that "I must say I never knew [Marcucci] to cheat me out of any money due me and he never promised me anything he didn't deliver." He stated he left his manager because "all the songs were sounding the same. So I bought myself out of the contract. It cost me plenty – a lot more than I thought it would."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://archive.org/stream/cashbox33unse_24#page/14/mode/1up/search/%22love+in+a+goldfish+bowl%22| website=Cash Box| date=18 December 1971| page=14| title=Hollywood Hold That Tiger}}</ref>