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The Champs
The Latin-inflected early rock band The Champs were formed in 1957 by Challenge
Records studio executives in order to quickly record the B-side for an upcoming
release by the label. The quintet originally consisted of Chuck Rio (whose real
name was Daniel Flores), Buddy Bruce, Dave Burgess, Gene Alden, and Cliff Hills.
The song they threw together was built on the saxophone skills and quirky deep
vocals of Rio. The resulting track, “Tequila”, became an unexpected smash,
topping both the pop and R&B singles charts and winning the Grammy for Best R&B
Performance in 1959. The follow...
