For today’s classic song of the day we go way back to early 1961 and Del Shannon’s massive hit, “Runaway.” This one shot all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 and also topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, and the UK.
“Runaway” was written by Del Shannon (then going by his birth name of Charles Westover) and his keyboardist, Max Crook. The two of them were part of a Michigan-based band called Charlie Johnson and Big Little Show Band and “Runaway” (then titled “Little Runaway”) was one of the original songs on their setlist. When they got a recording contract with Bigtop Records, Charles changed his name to Del and they recorded the newly retitled “Runaway” at Bell Sound Studios in New York City. Session musicians on the track included Al Caiola, Al Casamenti, and the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli on guitars; Milt Hinton on bass; and Joe Marshall on drums. Max (now calling himself Maximilian) Crook played the keyboard part on a clavioline-like instrument called a Musitron.
As noted, “Runaway” was a huge hit. Billboard ranked it the #5 song for all of 1961. It’s also been covered by a ton of other artists, including Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra (really!), Elvis Presley, Small Faces, the Traveling Wilburys, and, with my favorite version, Bonnie Raitt, whose bluesy 1977 version is today’s daily bonus track of the day. Enjoy!
