Del Shannon
Pop Musician / Music Producer
Name at birth: Charles Weedon Westover
Charles Westover changed his name to Del Shannon because his birth name "had no ammunition." He played guitar and sang in Michigan nightclubs until discovered by record company executives. He moved to New York and recorded "Runaway" in 1961; his distinctive falsetto and guitar work made the song an international hit . Shannon had a string of hit songs in the early 1960s, and throughout the '70s and '80s he continued to record and produce albums, but none of his subsequent songs proved to be quite as enduring as his first hit. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
Other famous pop stars of the era include Roy Orbison, Jackie Wilson and Buddy Holly.
Four Good Links
DelShannon.com
Biography, sights and sounds from an official site
Del Shannon Interview
Reprinted old interview from a site devoted to the era's music
Psychiatric Drug Devastates Artist
Claims Shannon was doing well until he was put on Prozac
Del Shannon Rock On
Profile and sound file
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
8 February 1990
(self-inflicted gunshot, age 55)
Best Known As
The singer of the hit song "Runaway"
