Although Bond was only 17 at the time, she was already a significant force on the local music scene.

"I started in the music business in 1955, when I was 16," she says. "I got involved with a local TV show that was two hours long and featured all kinds of recording artists every Saturday. I got to meet producers, managers, promo men, and the artists."

Her industry contacts proved invaluable to Darin and Karmen.

"I knew all the DJs, etc in the business, so I could take them around."

By the time she was 18, Bond was a DJ on a major radio station, and as her career developed, so did her friendship with Darin.

"Bobby became more like a brother to me," she says wistfully. "He loved to horse around and even played practical jokes on people sometimes. He was a lot of fun with never a dull moment."

Come 1959, she was managing a Michigan rock and roll artist named George Colovas, aka Georgie Cole. She had scored a spot for Cole on a huge "Cavalcade of Stars" show at the State Fair Coliseum in Detroit. Major acts on the bill included Neil Sedaka, Mitch Miller, Jo Ann Campbell, Teddy Randazzo, and of course, Bobby Darin.

Bond was backstage with Cole, helping the young man get autographs from all the stars for his little sister, when they bumped into Darin. As Bond explains, Darin took an immediate shine to Cole, even before hearing him play:

"He looked up at Georgie and then at me and said, 'This is your singer, Marilyn?' Yes it is. 'Do you have anything recorded on him?' We just finished two sides on him Friday night. 'As soon as he comes off stage, go to your house and pick up the tape. Then bring him and the tape to me at the Whittier Hotel.'"



Jamie Coe's debut single on Addison Records was "Summertime Symphony," a tune written by Bobby Darin.

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Cole was still riding high from his encounter with Darin when he hit the stage and knocked the crowd for a loop with Little Richard's "Miss Ann." The wild reaction from the audience, the girls storming the stage, and Cole's incredible performance all served to further impress Mr. Darin.

Back at the hotel, Cole played a few tunes for Darin on his old, battered guitar, while Bond sat nearby.

"He must have liked what he heard, because the next thing that we knew, he was planning a trip to New York to record some more sides on him," she says.

In a flash, Cole was signed to Darin's fledgling Addison Records label. Cole also got a new name to go with his new contract.

"One of the songs Georgie played that day was called 'Jamie Boy,'" says Bond. "When he finished, Bobby looked up and said, 'You like the name Jamie?' Georgie hesitated a couple of seconds before he answered with a puzzled look, 'Yeah, I guess so.' Bobby jumped up, saying, 'Good, it's yours from now on. Jamie ... Cole? Cole? Cole. No. Jamie Coe. We'll take out the L.'"



George Colovas aka Georgie Cole (center) in his pre-Jamie Coe days, with The Continentals.

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It wasn't long before the newly anointed Jamie Coe found himself in a New York recording studio, with Bobby Darin in the producer's chair. By June of 1959, Coe had his first single out on Addison, the Darin-penned ditty "Summertime Symphony," backed with a George Colovas original, "There's Gonna Be A Day."

Meanwhile, Bond had actually moved to New York, to pursue her career there.

"I sang and danced in nightclubs, modeled, and got a scholarship to the Lane Theatre Workshop. Diane Lane's dad ran it. The people I went to school with were John Cassavetes, Bobby Darin, Steve Karmen, Ed Ames, Jake LaMotta, and many more. I also did management and promotion."

She recalls one particular day in her acting class quite well, when Darin made a rather dramatic entrance:

"I remember him carrying Sandra Dee in his arms into the acting school. Up until then, he always had dated Jo Ann Campbell."

Darin would release one more Jamie Coe single on Addison, late 1959's "School Day Blues" b/w "I'll Go On Loving You," before being forced to close up shop in 1960, due to the increasing demands of his own recording career. This, however, did not spell the end of Darin's relationship with Coe. After selling Coe's contract to ABC-Paramount, Darin helped the rising star secure an appearance on American Bandstand. Coe released numerous singles on the ABC-Paramount, Bigtop, and Enterprise labels, hitting the national charts with "How Low Is Low" and "The Fool."

While Coe never achieved national stardom, he continued to play great rock and roll right up until his passing in 2007. He appeared 4 nights a week at his own club in Detroit, entertaining legions of longtime fans.

Bond continues to work in the music industry, promoting oldies shows, managing acts, and putting out CDs on her own Legends of Music label. Recently she released the Jamie Coe compilation A Long Time Ago, featuring all 4 of Coe's Addison sides, along with 25 more rockin' tracks. (To purchase a copy, email Bond directly at mb4music@yahoo.com.) She has also written a book about the Detroit music scene, The Birth of the Detroit Sound: 1940-1964.

When Bond is asked about her favorite memories of time spent with her friend Bobby Darin, two immediately spring to mind:

"Probably he, Steve and I just goofing off, walking down Woodward Avenue in Detroit, acting like normal folks instead of big stars. Or his 'niece,' Vee Vee, and I calling him in California to wish him Happy Birthday."

Bobby Darin has been quoted as saying he wanted to be remembered for both his talent and his humanity. In Bond's case, he got his wish.

"Bobby was a master of his craft," she says. "He also was a great friend."