Biography
Rendering stormy teen melodramas as compact, hummable vignettes, Del Shannon influenced generations of rock romantics from the 1960s onwards. Born Charles Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1934, he adopted his stage name just before debuting with 1961’s chart-topping “Runaway.” That song’s scenery-chewing chorus—complete with askew spike of falsetto—perfectly captured youthful anguish, while the same year’s follow-up “Hats off to Larry” simil...Read more