One of the best and most original rockers of the early '60s, Del Shannon
was also one of the least typical. Although classified at times as a teen
idol, he favoured brooding themes of abandonment, loss, and rejection.
In some respects he looked forward to the British Invasion with his
frequent use of minor chords and his ability to write most of his own
material. In fact, Shannon was able to keep going strong for a year or
two into the British Invasion, and never stopped trying to play original
music, though his commercial prospects pretty much died after the mid-
'60s.
Born Charles Westover, Shannon happened upon a gripping series of
minor chords while playing with his band in Battle Creek, MI. The
chords would form the basis for his 1961 debut single, "Runaway,"
one of the greatest hits of the early '60s, with its unforgettable riffs,
Shannon's amazing vocal range (which often glided off into a powerful
falsetto), and the creepy, futuristic organ solo in the middle. It made
number one, and the similar follow-up, "Hats Off to Larry," also made
the Top Ten.
DEL SHANNON EP
Del Shannon had intermittent minor hits over the next couple of years
("Little Town Flirt" was the biggest), but was even more successful in
England, where he was huge. On one of his European tours in 1963, he
played some shows with the Beatles, who had just scored their first big
British hits. Shannon, impressed by what he heard, would become the
first American artist to cover a Beatles song when he recorded "From
Me to You" for a 1963 single (although it would give him only a very
small hit).
Shannon's melodic style had some similarities with the burgeoning
pop/rock wing of the British Invasion, and in 1965, Peter & Gordon
would cover a Shannon composition, "I Go to Pieces," for a Top
Ten hit.
These Del Shannon albums are stored
on my external hard drives.
One of the idols of my youth: DEL SHANNON
Del Shannon got into the Top Ten with a late-1964 single, "Keep
Searchin'," that was one of his best and hardest-rocking outings. But
after the similar "Stranger in Town" (number 30, 1965), he wouldn't
enter the Top 40 again for nearly a couple of decades.
A switch to a bigger label (Liberty) didn't bring the expected commercial
results, although he was continuing to release quality singles. Part of the
problem was that some of these were a bit too eager to recycle some of
his stock minor-keyed riffs, as good as his prototype was.
A brief association with producer Andrew Loog Oldham (also
manager/producer of the Rolling Stones) found him continuing to evolve,
developing a more Baroque, orchestrated pop/rock sound, and
employing British session musicians such as Nicky Hopkins.
Much to Shannon's frustration, Liberty decided not to release the album
that resulted from the collaboration (some of the material appeared on
singles, and much of the rest of the sessions would eventually be issued
for the collector market).
By the late '60s, Del Shannon was devoting much of his energy to
producing other artists, most notably Smith and Brian Hyland. Shannon
was a perennially popular artist on the oldies circuit (particularly in
Europe, where he had an especially devoted audience), and was always
up for a comeback attempt on record. Sessions with Jeff Lynne and Dave
Edmunds in the '70s didn't amount to much, but an early-'80s album
produced by Tom Petty (and featuring members of the Heartbreakers as
backing musicians) got him into the Top 40 again with a cover of "Sea
of Love." He was working on another comeback album with Jeff Lynne,
and sometimes rumored as a replacement for Roy Orbison in the
Traveling Wilburys, when he unexpectedly killed himself on February 8,
1990, while on anti-depressant drugs.
DEL SHANNON CD
Del Shannon war musikalisch für mich ein treuer Begleiter, schon als Schüler zu meinen Gymnasialzeiten war ich von seinen Titeln fasziniert und regelrecht elektrisiert.
Ich habe eine kleine Sammlung seines Lebenswerks, Vinyl, CD's und ein Live-Konzert auf DVD.
Er konnte singen, das konnten nicht alle Stars der damaligen Zeit von sich behaupten. Ich habe von ihm z.B. eine CD mit dem Titel: "Del Shannon sings Hank Williams"
Meine Lieblingstitel:
"Runaway", "Hats off to Larry", "The Swiss Maid".
Del Shannon was always by my side, when I was a pupil.
I was fascinated by his songs, therefore I have a collection
of Del Shannon songs on vinyl and CD and a concert on DVD,
he could really sing, not the standard for most of the stars
from yesterday.
One of the CD's in my collection is
"Del Shannon sings Hank Williams"
My Del Shannon favourites:
"Runaway", "Hats off to Larry", "The Swiss Maid".
Nach seinem Tod veröffentlicht, eine grandiose CD ! Mit viel Herzblut gesungen, ich liebe diese CD ! Habe ich bei eBay erworben, daher auch das Logo unten rechts.
Nach seinem Tod veröffentlicht, eine grandiose CD ! Mit viel Herzblut gesungen, ich liebe diese CD ! Habe ich bei eBay erworben, daher auch das Logo unten rechts. 
