Chanteur Rock 'n' Roll US né Frederic Anthony Picariello, le 4 décembre 1939 à Lynn,
banlieue de Boston (Massachusetts). Freddy Cannon, encouragé par sa mère qui lui écrit son premier tube, deviendra, malgré des moyens limités, une énorme vedette.
Freddie remportera une quinzaine de succès pour le petit label Swan Records avant de signer chez Warner Bros en 1964.
In looking
back over the history of rock & roll, the sad fact remains that very few of its
original practitioners stayed true to its original big beat vision. Some made a
handful of brilliant sides before broader horizons — television or the movies —
beckoned. Others were rockers in name only, pop singers who couldn't wait to
shimmy into a tuxedo, trading in stomp'n'shout hysteria for the more
"respectable" future of dispensing supper club schmaltz. But Freddy Cannon was a
true believer, a rocker to the bone. Freddy Cannon made rock & roll records;
great noisy rock & roll records and all of them were infused with
a gigantic drum beat that was an automatic invitation to shake it on down
anyplace there was a spot to dance. Freddy Cannon remained true to the beat and
made some really great fun rock & roll records in the bargain. Because of
the time frame he enjoyed his biggest successes in — the late '50s to the mid-'60s
— Cannon is wrongly lumped in with the "Bobbies and Frankies" that proliferated
during that era. But a quick listen to any of his finest records — all to be
found on Rhino's The Best of Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon collection —
quickly dispels any preconceived notions of him being a pretty-boy teen idol
no-talent.
Cannon could genuinely rock and on two of his very best records — "Talahassee
Lassie" and "Buzz-Buzz-A-Diddle-It" — Freddy Cannon supplies his own electric
rhythm guitar, with his scrappy work on the latter record being particularly
effective. His records were masterminded by producers Bob Crewe and Frank Slay,
all well-constructed discs with every thump of the big beat and every vocal "woo"
out of Cannon perfectly placed and timed for maximum impact. Hits like "Way Down
Yonder in New Orleans," "Action," and "Palisades Park" may be "slicker" records
than the two mentioned above, but they still possess an enormous vitality and
commitment to rock & roll; few others could bring an old chestnut like "Way Down
Yonder in New Orleans" into the modern age with a straight face. "Cannon"'s
immense energy and contagious style make these noisy, very exciting records well
worth investigating.
He was born Frederico Anthony Picariello in 1940 and grew up in the nearby
Boston suburb of Lynn, MA. He got hit by the big beat early, but it helped
having parents who had more than a passing interest in music; his dad blew
trumpet, sang, and fronted local combos as Freddy Karmon while his mother's
penchant for amateur songwriting would hand him the genesis of his first hit.
Young Freddy soaked up the rhythm & blues of
Big Joe Turner and the jump blues of
bands like Buddy Johnson on the radio. But it was the guitar music of
Chuck Berry that made the most lasting
impression. As Cannon once said, "Give me four of five guys who can play hard
and in the pocket and to me, you've got a rock & roll show." This stripped,
down-to-basics motto became his credo, even when surrounded by big, brassy
bands, singing old tunes his father had sung; in a time frame full of phony
baloney teen idols, Freddy Cannon always remained a true rock & roller.
Like most American teenagers at the time, Freddy went in search of the new
music, which wasn't plentiful back then, despite what revisionist history tells
us. He soon threw his lot in — playing rhythm guitar and singing — with a group
called the Spindrifts and cut his first record, a local almost hit called "Cha-Cha-Do."
After the group's 15 minutes of local fame had evaporated, our hero formed his
first rock & roll band, Freddy Karmon & the Hurricanes. With himself on rhythm
guitar, another guy on sax taking most of the leads, a piano man, and a distant
relative keeping the beat, Freddy had his first big beat combo. The record-hop
scene in the Boston area was wide open for artists to make a local dent and
Cannon and the boys played at every opportunity that came their way. In the
meantime, he drove a truck after school, always coming home in time to watch
Dick Clark's American Bandstand every afternoon, wishing he was one of
the recordings stars, singing his song on the show.
One afternoon, he arrived home and his mother instructed him to grab his guitar;
she had written a poem that she wanted Freddy to set to music. The poem was
called "Rock and Roll Baby," which our hero put to a stomping,
Chuck Berry beat and three-chord rock &
roll progression. A quickie solo demo eventually found its way into the hands of
indie producer Bob Crewe and his partner Frank Slay. Slay and Crewe rewrote the
tune's verses and had Freddy Karmon & the Hurricanes go into a Boston studio and
cut the new version as "Tallahassee Lassie." Even with local guitar twanging
hotshot Kenny Paulsen brought into the lineup as a ringer, the record was only
75 percent of the way there to being a bona fide hit. After a pre-release
acetate hearing at Dick Clark's house, the host of American Bandstand
suggests the addition of a bass drum lick and hand claps in the middle, and back
to the studio to overdub went Slay, Crewe, and Freddy. To fill up the remaining
holes in the record, Crewe got the singer to go "wooo" at every available
opportunity, a vocal gimmick that would soon become a signature trademark. A
true piece of 1950s DIY studio craftsmanship and a record that simply rocks from
beginning to end like few others, "Tallahassee Lassie" was his first solo
record, his first hit, and the first record under his new name: "Freddy Cannon,"
newly named by Bernie Binnick, the president of his new record company, Swan
Records in Philadelphia.
It was also the birth of a whole new style, a style that belonged to Freddy and
his producers, lock, stock, and excitement galore. Following a formula of
cutting tunes that named cities or states in the title, Cannon re-stormed the
charts with records like "Okefenokee," "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans,"
"Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy," and "Muskrat Ramble." It is "Palisades Park,"
however, that remains his most enduring hit, a one-shot piece of amateur
songwriter genius penned by later-Gong Show host Chuck Barris under the
original title of "Amusement Park." It's a certified classic of oldies radio
with a razor-sharp double tracked vocal by Cannon and roller-coaster sound
effects dubbed in by Crewe as its audio hallmarks. Later chart entries like "Humdinger,"
"Transistor Sister," "If You Were a Rock and Roll Record," and "Teen Queen of
the Week," showed that Cannon kept bringing the energy and the big beat at a
time when most male singers were insipidly crooning. After leaving Swan with the
height of Beatle mania lurking right around the corner, Freddy Cannon kept on
rockin', extending his hit streak over to Warner Bros.; with records like
"Abigail Beecher," "Beechwood City," "The Dedication Song" and providing the
theme for Dick Clark's Where The Action Is!, also appearing in a couple
of micro epic rock & roll movies along the way. He continued to knock 'em dead
as a live act, something he still does today when the mood strikes him on the
revival circuit, still capable of bringing the heat when a young band nails the
groove behind him.
Talents : Singer
Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll
ROCK &
ROLL ABC'S
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Années en activité :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 |
DISCOGRAPHIE
Singles & EP
| 1959 | SP SWAN 4031 (US) | . |
Tallahassee Lassie
/ You Know |
||
| 1959 | SP SWAN 4038 (US) | . | Okefenokee / Kookie Hat | ||
| 1959 | SP SWAN 4043 (US) |
 |
|
||
| 1959 | EP TOP RANK RES 104 (F) |
 |
Okefenokee / Kookie Hat / + BENTLEY BROTHERS | ||
| 1960 | SP SWAN 4050 (US) |
 |
Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / Boston "My Home Town | ||
| 1960 | SP SWAN 4053 (US) |
 |
Jump Over / The Urge | ||
| 1960 | SP SWAN 4057 (US) |
 |
Happy Shades Of Blue / Cuernavaca Choo Choo | ||
| 1960 | SP SWAN 4061 (US) |
 |
Humdinger / My Blue Heaven | ||
| 1960 | SP SWAN 4066 (US) |
 |
Muskrat Ramble / Two Thousand | ||
| 1960 | EP TOP RANK RES 127 (F) |
 |
Tallahassee Lassie
/ ? / + BENTLEY BROTHERS |
||
| 1961 | SP SWAN 4071 (US) | . | Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Opportunity | ||
| 1961 | SP SWAN 4078 (US) |
 |
Transistor Sister / Walk To The Moon | ||
| 1961 | SP SWAN 4083 (US) | . | For Me And My Gal / Blue Plate Special | ||
| 1961 | EP TOP RANK 20005 (F) |
 |
Muskrat Ramble / St. Louis Blues / Two Thousand 88 / Kansas City | ||
| 1961 | EP LA VOIX DE SON MAÎTRE EMF 329 (F) |
 |
What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Done / Broadway / Buzz, Buzz A Diddle It / For Me And My Gal | ||
| 1962 | SP SWAN 4096 (US) | . | Teen Queen Of The Week / Wild Guy | ||
| 1962 | SP SWAN 4106 (US) | . | Palisades Park / June, July And August | ||
| 1962 | SP SWAN 4117 (US) | . | What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Gone? / Broadway | ||
| 1962 | SP SWAN 4122 (US) | . | If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / The Truth, Ruth | ||
| 1963 | SP SWAN 4132 (US) | . | Four Letter Man / Come On And Love Me | ||
| 1963 | SP SWAN 4139 (US) | . | Patty Baby / Betty Jean | ||
| 1963 | SP SWAN 4149 (US) | . | Everybody Monkey / Oh Gloria | ||
| 1963 | SP SWAN 4155 (US) | . | Do What The Hippies Do / That's The Way Girls Are | ||
| 1964 | SP SWAN 4168 (US) | . | What A Party / Sweet Georgia Brown | ||
| 1964 | SP SWAN 4178 (US) | . | The Ups And Downs Of Love / It's Been Nice | ||
| 1964 | EP WARNER BROS. WEP 1433 (F) |
 |
Gonna Send You Back To Georgia / Hey Little Cobra / Abigail Beecher / Southtown U.S.A. | ||
| 1964 | EP WARNER BROS. WEP 1435 (F) |
|
California Sun / For You / Shimmy Shimmy / All American Girl | ||
| 1965 | SP WARNER BROS. WB 5645 (UK) | . | Action / ? | ||
| 1965 | EP WARNER BROS. WEP 1446 (F) |
 |
Action / Papa's Got A Brand New Bag / Hang On Sloopy / High Heel Sneakers | ||
| 1966 ? | EP WARNER BROS. WEP 1459 (F) |
 |
The Dedication Song / The Greatest Show On Earth / Hokie Pokie Girl / Come On, Come On | ||
| 1969 ? | SP LONDON 69023 (F) | . | Beautiful Downtown Burbank / If You Give Me A Title |
Albums
| 1959 | LP 12" SWAN LP 502 (mono) / LP 502 S (stereo) (US) |
 |
THE EXPLOSIVE ! - Boston (My Home Town) / Kansas City / Sweet Georgia Brown / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / St. Louis Blues /Indiana / Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy / Deep In The Heart Of Texas / California Here I Come / Okefenokee / Carolina In The Morning / Tallahassee Lassie |
| 1960 | LP 12" SWAN LP 504 (US) |
 |
FREDDY CANON SINGS HAPPY SHADES OF BLUE - My Blue Heaven / Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue / Blue Suede Shoes / Blue Skies / Lavender Blue / Blue Plate Special / Bye Bye Blues / Alice Blue Gown / House Of Blue Lights / The Old Piano Roll Blues / The Blacksmith Blues / Happy Shades Of Blue |
| 09/1961 | LP 12" SWAN LP 505 (US) |
 |
FREDDY CANON'S SOLID GOLD HITS - Tallahassee Lassie / Jump Over / Cuernavaca Choo Choo / Humdinger / You Know / The Urge / Muskrat Ramble / Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / Boston (My Home Town) / Happy Shades Of Blue / Two Thousand-88 / Okefenokee / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Opportunity / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans |
| 1962 | LP 12" SWAN LP 507 (US) |
 |
PALISADES PARK - Palisades Park / Transistor Sister / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down / Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polkadot Bikini / Medley: Meet Me In St. Louis - Take Me Out To The Ball Game - In The Good Old Summer Time / Forever True / For Me And My Gal / Teen Queen Of The Week / Summer's Comin' / Splish Splash / June July And August |
| 1963 | LP 12" SWAN SLP 511 (US) |
 |
STEPS OUT - That's The Way Girls Are / Patty Baby / If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / Broadway / All I Wanna Be Is Your Boom Forever / Do What The Hippies Do / The Slide / Betty Jean / What A Party / What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Done / Come On And Love Me / Everybody Monkey |
| 1964 | LP 12" WARNER BROS. W 1544 (mono) / WS 1544 (stereo) (US) |
 |
ABIGAIL BEECHER - (Freddie CANNON) - Abigail Beecher / For You / Southtown, U.S.A. / Gonna Send You Back To Georgia / Shimmy Shimmy / She Loves You / California Sun / Hey Little Cobra / Come On.Good News / All American Girl / I Want To Hold Your Hand |
| 1965 | LP 12" WARNER BROS. W 1612 (mono) / WS 1612 (stereo) (US) |
 |
ACTION ! - (Freddie CANNON) - Action / Hang On Sloopy / It's Happening / She's Somethin' Else / High Heel Sneakers / Papa's Got a Brand New Bag / Let Me Show You Where It's At / Beachwood City / You Gotta Help Yourself / How You Gonna Keep A Good Heart Down |
| 1965 | LP 12" WARNER BROS. WS 1628 (US) |
 |
FREDDY CANNON'S GREATEST HITS - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Jump Over / Palisades Park / Muskrat Ramble / Action / Tallahassee Lassie (45 version) / Okefenokee / Transistor Sister / Beachwood City / Happy Shades Of Blue / Abigail Beecher |
| 1966 | LP 12" WARNER BROS. W 1628 (mono) / WS 1628 (stereo) (US) |
|
GREATEST HITS - (Freddie CANNON) - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle -It / Jump Over / Palisades Park / Muskrat Ramble / Action / Tallahassee Lassie / Okefenokee / Transistor Sister / Beachwood City / Happy Shades Of Blue / Abigail Beecher |
| 1980 | LP 12" LOLLIPOP 6.24343 (D) |
 |
THE EXPLOSIVE ! - Tallahassee Lassie / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / The Urge / Teen Queen Of The Week / If You Were A Rock & Roll Record / Happy Shades Of Blue / Transistor Sister / Muskrat Ramble / Palisades Park / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Action / Okefenokee / Chattanoogia Shoe Shine Boy / Abigail Beecher / For Me And My Gal / The Dedication Song |
| 1982 | LP 12" RHINO RNDF 210 (US) |
|
14 BOOMING HITS - Tallahassee Lassie / Palisades Park / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Transistor Sister / Jump Over / Boston (My Home Town) / Teen Queen Of The Week / Action / Abigail Beecher / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Beechwood City / Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / The Dedication Song |
| 03/1991 | CD CRITIQUE / BMG 5402-2-CR (US) |
 |
HIS LATEST AND GREATEST - Palisades Park / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Tallahassee Lassie / Where The Action Is / Abigail Beecher / Transistor Sister / Buzz Buzz A Diddle It / Jump Over / Dedication Song / Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / Humdinger / For Me & My Gal / Everybody Monkey / Okefenokee / Let Me Show You Where It's At / Opportunity / Hanky Panky / The Boom Boom Man |
| 1991 | CD TNT LASER CD 502/504 (NL) |
 |
VOLUME 1 : THE EXPLOSIVE ! / FREDDY CANON SINGS HAPPY SHADES OF BLUE - Boston (My Home Town) / Kansas City / Sweet Georgia Brown / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / St. Louis Blues / Indiana / Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / Deep In The Heart Of Texas / California Here I Come / Okefenokee / Carolina In The Morning / Tallahassee Lassie [LP version] / My Blue Heaven / Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue / Blue Suede Shoes / Blue Skies / Lavender Blue / Blue Plate Special / Bye Bye Blues / Alice Blue Gown / The House Of Blue Lights / The Old Piano Roll Blues / The Blacksmith Blues / Happy Shades Of Blue |
| 1992 | CD TNT LASER CD 507/511 (NL) |
 |
VOLUME 2 : PALISADES PARK / STEPS OUT - Palisades Park / Transistor Sister / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down / Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini / Meet Me In St. Louis - Take Me Out To The Ball Game - In The Good Old Summer Time / Forever True / For Me And My Gal / Teen Queen Of The Week / Summer's Comin' / Splish Splash / June July And August / That's The Way Girls Are / Patty Baby / If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / Broadway / All I Wanna Be Is Your Boom Forever / Do What Hippies Do / The Slide / Betty Jean / What A Party / What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Gone / Come On And Love Me / Everybody Monkey |
| 11/1995 | CD RHINO 72210 (US) |
 |
BIG BLAST FROM BOSTON - THE BEST OF FREDDY CANNON - Cha Cha Doo / Tallahassee Lassie / You Know / Okefenokee / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / Boston 'My Home Town' / Jump Over / Humdinger / Muskrat Ramble / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Transistor Sister / Teen Queen Of The Week / Palisades Park / If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / Patty Baby / Abigail Beecher / Action / Beachwood City / The Dedication Song |
| 08/1999 | CD SEE FOR MILES 690 (UK) |
 |
THE EP COLLECTION - Tallahassee Lassie / Okefenokee / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy / California, Here I Come / Carolina In The Morning / (Back Home Again In) Indiana / Kansas City / My Blue Heaven / Jump Over / Urge / Cuernavaca Choo Choo / Happy Shades Of Blue / Sweet Georgia Brown / Bye Bye Blues / Wild Guy / Humdinger / Muskrat Ramble / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Transistor Sister / Palisades Park / For Me And My Gal / Teen Queen Of The Week / Abigail Beecher / Action / Dedication Song / Tallahassee Lassie |
| 05/2000 | CD VARESE 66111 (US) |
 |
PALISADES PARK - THE VERY BEST OF FREDDY CANNON - THE SWAN YEARS 1959-1963 - Palisades Park / Transistor Sister / Okefenokee / Teen Queen Of The Week / Tallahassee Lassie / If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / The Urge / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Opportunity / Twistin' All Night Long [with DANNY & JUNIORS] / What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Done? / For Me And My Gal / Happy Shades Of Blue / Muskrat Ramble / Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / Humdinger / Everybody Monkey / Patty Baby / Jump Over |
| 09/2001 | CD SEE FOR MILES 728 (UK) |
 |
THE EXPLOSIVE ! / FREDDY CANON SINGS HAPPY SHADES OF BLUE - Boston (My Home Town) / Kansas City / Sweet Georgia Brown / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / St. Louis Blues / Indiana / Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy / Deep In The Heart Of Texas / California, Here I Come / Okefenokee / Carolina In The Morning / Tallahassee Lassie / My Blue Heaven / Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue / Blue Suede Shoes / Blue Skies / Lavender Blue / Blue Plate Special / Bye Bye Blues / Alice Blue Gown / House Of Blue Lights / Old Piano Roll Blues / Blacksmith Blues / Happy Shades Of Blue / Kookie Hat / Oh Gloria / Truth Ruth / Wild Guy |
| 09/2001 | CD SEE FOR MILES 729 (UK) |
 |
FREDDY CANNON / ACTION !... PLUS - Abigail Beecher / For You / Southtown U.S.A. / Gonna Send You Back To Georgia / Shimmy Shimmy / She Loves You / California Sun / Hey Little Cobra / Come On / Good News / All American Girl / I Want To Hold Your Hand / Action {From Where The Action Is} / Hang On Sloopy / It's Happening / She's Somethin' Else / High Heel Sneakers / Papa's Got a Brand New Bag / Let Me Show You Where It's At / Beachwood City / You Gotta Help Yourself / How You Gonna Keep A Good Heart Down / Odie Cologne / OK Wheeler The Used Car Dealer / Summertime U.S.A. / Gotta Good Thing Goin' / Too Much Monkey Business / Little Fender Bender |
| 03/2002 | CD SEE FOR MILES ? (UK) |
 |
BANG ON / STEPS OUT... PLUS - If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Done / Merry-Go-Round Broke Down / For Me And My Girl / Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini / Meet Me In St. Loius - Take Me Out To The Ball Game - In The ... / Broadway / Palisades Park / Truth Ruth / Forever True / Teen Queen Of The Week / Summer's Comin' / Splish Splash / June, July And August / That's The Way Girls Are / Patty Baby / It's Been Nice / Four Letter Man / All I Wanna Be Is Your Boom Forever / Do What The Hippies Do / Slide / Betty Jean / What A Party / Ups And Downs Of Love / Come On And Love Me / Everybody Monkey / Transistor Sister / Buzz Buzz A Diddle It / Honest Injun / Alabamy Bound |
| 05/2002 | CD VARESE 066341 (US) |
 |
WHERE THE ACTION IS - THE VERY BEST 1964-1981 - Abigail Beecher / All American Girl / Little Fender Bender / Action / It's Happening / Let Me Show You Where It's At / Beachwood City / The Dedication Song / The Laughing Song / Natalie / Rockin' Robin / In My Wildest Dreams / Ride, Roller Coaster, Ride / (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock / Beautiful Downtown Burbank / Charged-Up, Turned-Up Rock 'n' Roll Singer / Rock & Roll ABC's / Let's Put The Fun Back In Rock & Roll |
| 11/2002 | CD COLLECTABLES 7523 (US) |
 |
BOOM BOOM CHRISTMAS - Santa's Here To Stay / Have A Boom Boom / Christmas / Feliz Navidad / Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer / Santa's Got Two Left Feet / Come On A Sleigh Ride / Run Rudolph Run / Santa (You're Too Fat for Me) / Jingle Bell Rock / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Mamacita / Here Comes Santa Claus / Santa Claus Is Coming To Town / Palisades Park |
| 03/2003 | CD COLLECTABLES 7535 (US) |
 |
THE BEST OF FREDDY CANNON - Tallahassee Lassie / Okefenokee / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans / Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy / The Urge / Jump Over / Happy Shades Of Blue / Humdinger / My Blue Heaven / Muskrat Ramble / Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Transistor Sister / For Me And My Gal / Teen Queen Of The Week / Palisades Park / What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Done / If You Were A Rock And Roll Record / Patty Baby / Everybody Monkey / Sweet Georgia Brown / Charged-Up, Turned-Up Rock 'n' Roll Singer / Abigail Beecher / Boston My Hometown / Action / The Dedication Song |
© Rocky Productions 15/05/2005
