Del Shannon - Biography

Biography

Del Shannon was born Charles Weedon Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up in nearby Coopersville. He learned ukulele and guitar and listened to country and western music, including 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 in a furniture factory as a truck driver and carpet salesman. He found part-time work as a rhythm guitarist in singer Doug DeMott's group, working at the Hi-Lo Club.

When DeMott was fired in 1958, Westover took over as leader and singer, giving himself the name Charlie Johnson, renaming his band The Big Little Show Band. In early 1959 he added keyboardist Max Crook, who played the Musitron (his own invention of an early synthesizer). Crook had made recordings, and he persuaded Ann Arbor disc jockey Ollie McLaughlin to hear the band. McLaughlin took the group's demos to Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of Talent Artists in Detroit. In July 1960, Westover and Crook signed to become recording artists and composers on the Bigtop label. Balk suggested Westover use a new name, and they came up with "Del Shannon", combining Shannon Kavanagh with Del, derived from the Cadillac Coupe de Ville, his favorite car.