“Runaway” was a number one Billboard Hot 100 song in the spring of 1961 by Del Shannon. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit. Singer-guitarist Charles Westover and keyboard player Max Crook performed together as members of “Charlie Johnson and the Big Little Show Band” in Battle Creek, Michigan, before their group won a recording contract in 1960. Westover took the new stage name “Del Shannon”, and Crook, who had invented his own clavioline-based synthesiser, the Musitron, became “Maximilian”. After their first recording session for Big Top Records in New York had ended in failure, their manager Ollie McLaughlin persuaded them to rewrite and re-record an earlier song they had written, “Little Runaway”, to highlight Crook’s unique instrumental sound. On January 21, 1961, they recorded “Runaway” at the Bell Sound recording studios, with Harry Balk as producer, session musician Al Caiola on guitar, and Crook playing the central Musitron break. “Runaway” was released in February 1961 and was immediately successful. In April, Shannon appeared on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand helping to catapult it to the #1 spot on the Billboard charts where it remained for four weeks. Two months later, it also reached #1 in the UK.

On February 8, 1990, Shannon committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a .22 caliber rifle. Shannon’s wife, Bonnie, found his body at 11:25 P.M. in their Santa Clarita, California home, 35 miles north of Los Angeles. The rifle was found next to his body in the den. His wife has expressed the opinion that his death might have been related to his recent use of the prescription drug Prozac. His final album was released after his death, titled Rock On!.

By Del Shannon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OwkQPSsIxc

Lyrics