The Champs

This article is about the band. For the podcast, see The Champs (podcast).
For other uses, see The Champ (disambiguation) and Champs (disambiguation).

The Champs
The band in 1958
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
GenresRock and roll
Years active1957–1965, 2020
LabelChallenge

The Champs were an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged 1958 instrumental single "Tequila". The group took their name from that of Gene Autry's horse, Champion, and was formed by studio executives at Autry's Challenge Records to record a B-side for the Dave Burgess single "Train to Nowhere". The intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-side, as "Tequila" went to number one 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 fall 1957, and in 1959 won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.