Del Shannon

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the novelist under the pen name Dell Shannon, see Elizabeth Linington.

Del Shannon
London
  • Twirl
  • Berlee
  • Amy
  • Liberty
  • Dunhill
  • United Artists
  • Island
  • Elektra
  • Silvertone
    • Websitedelshannon.com

    Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one Billboard hit "Runaway". In 1999, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to his music career, he had minor acting roles.

    Biography

    Shannon was born Charles Weedon Westover on December 30, 1934, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Bert and Leone Mosher Westover, and grew up in nearby Coopersville.[1] He learned to play the ukulele and guitar and listened to country-and-western music by artists such as Hank Williams, Hank Snow, and Lefty Frizzell. He was drafted into the Army in 1954 and, while in Germany, played guitar in a band called The Cool Flames. When his service ended, he returned to Battle Creek, Michigan, and worked as a carpet salesman and as a truck driver for a furniture factory. He found part-time work as a rhythm guitarist in singer Doug DeMott's group, The Moonlight Ramblers, working at the Hi-Lo Club.[2]

    When DeMott was fired in 1958 for drunkenness, Westover took over as leader and singer, giving himself the name Charlie Johnson and renaming the band the Big Little Show Band.

    Cadillac Coupe de Ville, his favorite car.[3]

    Success

    Shannon on the cover of Cash Box, 29 July 1961

    He flew to New York City, but his first sessions were not successful. McLaughlin then persuaded Shannon and Crook to rewrite and re-record one of their earlier songs, originally called "Little Runaway", using the

    Billboard chart in April. Shannon followed with "Hats Off to Larry", which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard chart and number 2 on the Cashbox chart in 1961, and the less popular "So Long, Baby", another song of breakup bitterness. "Runaway" and "Hats Off to Larry" were recorded in a day.[5]

    Berlee Records and Amy Records

    By August 1963, Shannon's relationship with his managers and Bigtop had soured, so he formed his own label, Berlee Records, named after his parents.[6]

    He returned to the charts immediately with "

    Hullabaloo club in Los Angeles, California, on December 22, 1965.[7]

    Liberty Records, United Artists Records and Island Records

    Shannon signed with Liberty in 1966 and revived Toni Fisher's "The Big Hurt" and the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb". Peter and Gordon released his song "I Go to Pieces" in 1965.[3]

    In September 1967, Shannon began laying down the tracks for The Further Adventures of Charles Westover, which was highly regarded by fans and critics alike despite disappointing sales. The album yielded two 1968 singles, "Thinkin' It Over" and "Gemini". In October 1968, Liberty Records released their tenth (in the United States) and final Shannon single, a cover of Dee Clark's 1961 hit "Raindrops". This brought to a close a commercially disappointing period in Shannon's career. In 1972, he signed with United Artists and recorded Live in England, released in June 1973. Reviewer Chris Martin critiqued the album favourably, saying that Shannon never improvised, was always true to the original sounds of his music and that only Lou Christie rivaled his falsetto.[8] In April 1975, he signed with Island Records.[9]

    After he and his manager jointly sought back royalties for Shannon, Bug Music was founded in 1975 to administer his songs.[10] By 2011, when Bug was acquired by BMG Rights Management, its catalogue had grown to include 250,000 compositions.[11]

    A 1976 article on Shannon's concert at the

    Roxy Theatre described the singer as "personal, pure and simple rock 'n' roll, dated but gratifyingly undiluted." Shannon sang some of his new rock songs along with classics like "Endless Sleep" and "The Big Hurt". The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Shannon's haunting vignettes of heartbreak and restlessness contain something of a cosmic undercurrent which has the protagonist tragically doomed to a bleak, shadowy struggle."[12]

    Later career

    Shannon's career slowed down greatly in the 1970s, owing in part to his alcoholism.

    Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones, and Frankie Ford, along with "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips. It was Shannon's first album in eight years.[5]

    In February 1982, Shannon appeared at the Bottom Line. He performed pop-rock tunes and old hits. Stephen Holden, a reviewer for The New York Times, described an "easygoing pop-country" style. On "Runaway" and "Keep Searchin'", Shannon and his band rediscovered the sound "in which his keen falsetto played off against airy organ obbligatos." In the 1980s, Shannon performed "competent but mundane country-rock".[14]

    Shannon had a resurgence of popularity after re-recording "Runaway" with new lyrics as the theme for the

    Warner Bros. Records, which had signed Shannon in 1984.[3]

    Death and legacy

    In January 1990 Shannon was pushing himself to finish a new album and schedule upcoming concerts, resulting in troublesome stress. On the advice of his doctor, on January 24, Shannon began taking

    Prozac, an antidepressant. Fifteen days later, he died by suicide, shooting himself with a .22 caliber rifle at his home in Santa Clarita, California, on February 8, 1990.[16] "He was very much in charge of his business, but within days after he started taking Prozac I noticed a personality change in him. He developed severe insomnia, extreme fatigue, chills, racing heart, dry mouth, and upset stomach," testified LeAnne Westover, Shannon's widow. "Suicide was totally out of character for my husband. There was no note and no goodbye."[17]

    Following his death, the Traveling Wilburys honored him by recording a version of "Runaway".[18] Jeff Lynne also co-produced Shannon's posthumous album, Rock On, released by Silvertone Records in 1991.[19]

    Shannon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999[20][18] and into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2005.[21]

    A Del Shannon Memorial Scholarship Fund was set up following Shannon's death.[22] Coopersville, Michigan, holds an annual Del Shannon Car Show.[23][24][25]

    Discography

    Further information: Del Shannon discography

    References

    1. ^ "Del Shannon | American musician". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
    2. ^ "The Hi-Lo Club". Delshannon.com. September 29, 1990. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
    3. ^ a b c d e "Full Length Biography". Delshannon.Com. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
    4. ^ Reid, Gordon (March 2007). "The Story of the Clavioline". Sound on Sound. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
    5. ^ a b "Shannon's Back—It's On the Record". Los Angeles Times. December 20, 1981. p. M92.
    6. ISBN 3-89916-078-9
      .
    7. ^ "Del Shannon, Guests, Slated at Hullabaloo". Los Angeles Times. December 22, 1965. p. E6.
    8. ^ "Del Shannon's River Still Flows". Los Angeles Times. December 23, 1973. p. H-51.
    9. ^ "Pop News". Los Angeles Times. April 6, 1975. p. M-59.
    10. ^ "Fred Bourgoise of Bug Music". Songwriteruniverse.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
    11. ^ "BMG acquires publisher Bug Music". September 12, 2011.
    12. ^ Cromelin, Richard (January 21, 1976). "At The Roxy—Undiluted Aura of Del Shannon". Los Angeles Times. p. E11.
    13. ^ a b c "Full Length Biography". Delshannon.Com. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
    14. ^ "Pop:Del Shannon, 60's Teen-Age Star". The New York Times. February 22, 1982. p. C16.
    15. ^ Washburn, Jim (April 7, 1989). "Never a 'Runaway' : Rocker Del Shannon's Still Writing, Recording, Performing Worldwide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
    16. ISBN 1-85227-745-9
      .
    17. ^ LeAnne Westover, testimony before the Food and Drug Administration, Sept. 1991.
    18. ^ a b Bak, Richard (June 30, 2011). "Del Shannon's 'Runaway' Success Led to His Downfall". Hour Detroit Magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
    19. ^ "Jeff Lynne Produces Final Album by Del Shannon". Jeff Lynne website. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
    20. ^ "Del Shannon: Inducted in 1999". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
    21. ^ "MRRL Hall of fame – Del Shannon". Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019.
    22. ^ Cammel, Ron (November 26, 2009). "Coopersville Historical Museum, Del Shannon Memorial Scholarship Fund get $5,000 donations". Mlive.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
    23. ^ "Coopersville's annual Del Shannon festival and car show, Kent County Youth Fair kick off Monday". Mlive.com. August 8, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
    24. ^ "Coopersville & Marne Railway – Del Shannon Memorial Car Show Shuttle Service". Coopersvilleandmarne.org. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
    25. ^ "Del Shannon Days & Car Show". Grandhaven.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
    26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Del Shannon Albums and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
    27. ^ a b "Del Shannon - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
    28. ^ "Home and Away Studio Session Photos". Del Shannon Enterprises official website. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2015.

    Literature

    External links
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