Artist:Del ShannonSong:Runaway
Album:Greatest Hits
Del Shannon's Runaway was one of the biggest hits of the early 60s. Of course Shannon was classified as a teen idol but he was much more than that and continued to record into the 80s though his initial popularity was killed by the British Invasion. He was born Charles Westover Dec. 30, 1934 in Grand Rapids, MI. He grew up as a country music fan, learned to play guitar and started playing in bands when he was stationed in Germany while in the Army in 1954. After his discharge, he joined a band and soon became the lead singer. He renamed himself Charlie Johnson & The Little Big Band. In 1959 he added keyboard player Max Crook. Crook had invented an early version of synthesizer called the Musitron and started playing it on stage. He got Ann Arbor DJ Ollie McLaughlin to listen to the band and they signed with Big Top Records. Producer Harry Balk suggested Westover find a new name and they came up with Del Shannon. Shannon and Crook wrote Runaway and of course Shannon's vocals and the use of Crook's Musitron gave him a #1 hit in 1961. Hats Off To Larry was also a top ten hit. Shannon started his own label in 1963 but his career gradually waned and he was off the charts by 1966. He turned to production and had success producing Smith and Brian Hyland in the late 60s. This Rhino comp covers his 60s recordings. Shannon continued to record in the 70s & 80s with guys like Dave Edmunds and Tom Petty but alcohol problems got in the way. Del Shannon committed suicide with a .22 calibre rifle on Feb. 8, 1990 at age 55. Here's Del Shannon performing Runaway on Shindig.
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