The Champs
Encyclopedia
The Champs were an American
rock and roll
band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental
"Tequila
". Formed by studio
executives at Gene Autry's
Challenge Records
to record a B-Side
for the Dave Burgess (aka Dave Dupree) single
, the intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-Side, "Train to Nowhere". "Tequila" went to No. 1 in just three weeks and the band became the first group to go to the top spot with an instrumental that was their first release. The song was recorded at Gold Star Studios
in 1958, and in 1959 won the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording.
"Tequila!" was written and sung by the saxophone
player Danny Flores
, although he was credited as Chuck Rio because he was under contract to another record label
at the time. Flores, who died in September 2006, was known as the "Godfather of Latino rock." Flores' "dirty sax" and his joyous hollering of "Tequila!" are the hallmarks of the song. Flores signed away the U.S.
rights to the song but retained world-wide rights until his death.
There are many cover version
s of the tune, for example by Herb Alpert in 1972, as well as by the rappers A.L.T.
and XL Singleton. The Champs also had success with instrumentals such as "Limbo Rock
" and "La Cucaracha
". In 1985 it featured prominently in the film
, Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
The Champs also recorded a sequel to Tequila entitled "Too Much Tequila".
Band members later featured Glen Campbell
, Jerry Cole
and Seals and Crofts
. The last lineup of The Champs, in 1965, included Johnny Trombore, who co-wrote some songs with Jimmy Seals, Maurice Marshall, Dash Crofts, bassist Curtis Paul and Seal's replacement on saxophone, Keith MacKendrick.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
"Tequila
Tequila (song)
"Tequila" is a 1958 Latin-flavored rock and roll song recorded by the group, the Champs. The title of the song constitutes the entirety of the lyrics, and is spoken a total of three times during the course of the song. "Tequila" became a #1 hit on both the pop and R&B charts at the time of its...
". Formed by studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
executives at Gene Autry's
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
Challenge Records
Challenge Records (1950s)
Challenge Records was founded in Los Angeles in 1957 by cowboy singer Gene Autry and former Columbia Records A & R representative Joe Johnson. Autry's involvement with the label was short lived as he sold his interest to the remaining partners in October 1958. The label's first success came with...
to record a B-Side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
for the Dave Burgess (aka Dave Dupree) single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, the intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-Side, "Train to Nowhere". "Tequila" went to No. 1 in just three weeks and the band became the first group to go to the top spot with an instrumental that was their first release. The song was recorded at Gold Star Studios
Gold Star Studios
Gold Star Studios was a major independent recording studio located in Los Angeles, California, United States. For more than thirty years, from 1950 to 1984, Gold Star was one of the most influential and successful commercial recording studios in the world....
in 1958, and in 1959 won the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording.
"Tequila!" was written and sung by the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player Danny Flores
Danny Flores
Daniel Flores was the singer on his self-written song, "Tequila", an American Billboard number one hit in 1958 for The Champs....
, although he was credited as Chuck Rio because he was under contract to another record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
at the time. Flores, who died in September 2006, was known as the "Godfather of Latino rock." Flores' "dirty sax" and his joyous hollering of "Tequila!" are the hallmarks of the song. Flores signed away the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rights to the song but retained world-wide rights until his death.
There are many cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of the tune, for example by Herb Alpert in 1972, as well as by the rappers A.L.T.
A.L.T.
A.L.T. is a Mexican-American rapper known for the 1992 hit song "Tequila" . He is of Mexican and French descent. A.L.T. joined the rap supergroup, Latin Alliance in 1991. After their first and only album, A.L.T. went solo and released his debut album, Another Latin Timebomb in 1992...
and XL Singleton. The Champs also had success with instrumentals such as "Limbo Rock
Limbo Rock
"Limbo Rock" is a popular song about limbo dancing written by Kal Mann and Billy Strange. An instrumental version was first recorded by The Champs in 1961. The first vocal version was recorded in 1962 by Chubby Checker : it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the...
" and "La Cucaracha
La Cucaracha
"La Cucaracha" is a traditional Spanish folk corrido that became popular in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. It has additionally become a verse played on car horns.-Origins:...
". In 1985 it featured prominently in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
The Champs also recorded a sequel to Tequila entitled "Too Much Tequila".
Band members
- Chuck RioDanny FloresDaniel Flores was the singer on his self-written song, "Tequila", an American Billboard number one hit in 1958 for The Champs....
- saxophone, vocals (born Danny Flores, July 11, 1929, Santa PaulaSanta Paula, CaliforniaSanta Paula is a city within Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 29,321 at the 2010 census, up from 28,598 at the 2000 census...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, died September 19, 2006, Huntington BeachHuntington Beach, CaliforniaHuntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) - Dave Burgess - guitar (born LancasterLancaster, CaliforniaLancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) - Dale Norris - guitar, keyboards (born SpringfieldSpringfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) - Bobby Morris - bass (born TulsaTulsa, OklahomaTulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
) - Dean McDaniel - bass (born June 28, 1943, Arkansas CityArkansas City, KansasArkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,415....
, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, died November 1, 2006, Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
) - Gen Alden - drums (born CiscoCisco, TexasCisco is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,851 at the 2000 census.-History:Conrad Hilton started the Hilton Hotel chain with a single hotel bought in Cisco. Hilton came to Cisco to buy a bank, but the bank cost too much; so he purchased the Mobley Hotel in 1919...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) - Paul C Saenz - Lead Guitar, born 1948, La Union, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
) - Benjamin Van Norman - Bass, died November 1958 in a car accident.
Band members later featured Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
, Jerry Cole
Jerry Cole
Jerry Cole born Jerald Kolbrack was an American guitarist who recorded under his own name, under various budget album pseudonyms and as an uncredited session musician.-Biography:...
and Seals and Crofts
Seals and Crofts
Seals and Crofts is a band made up of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts . The soft rock duo was one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s. They are best known for their hits "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl"...
. The last lineup of The Champs, in 1965, included Johnny Trombore, who co-wrote some songs with Jimmy Seals, Maurice Marshall, Dash Crofts, bassist Curtis Paul and Seal's replacement on saxophone, Keith MacKendrick.