January 27 2026
How David Seville’s Critters Came to Be — A Brief History
Long before the world knew the Chipmunks, David Seville was a restless studio experimenter with a sharp ear and a playful imagination. In the mid‑1950s, he was writing songs, acting in small roles, and tinkering with tape machines in ways no one else dared. What fascinated him most was the sound of sped‑up voices — a trick he discovered while playing with variable‑speed tape recorders.
His first breakthrough came in 1958 with “Witch Doctor.” The sped‑up “Oo-ee-oo-ah-ah” voice wasn’t a character yet — just a funny studio effect — but the record exploded. Suddenly, David realized he had stumbled onto something bigger: a whole new style of musical comedy built on personality, rhythm, and tape wizardry.
Later that same year, he pushed the idea further. Instead of one funny voice, he imagined a trio of mischievous little performers who could sing, argue, and bounce off his straight‑man persona. Using nothing more than tape speed, razor blades, and perfect timing, he created three distinct voices — high, bright, and full of attitude.
That experiment became “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” and the critters were born.
What made them special wasn’t just the sound — it was the chemistry. David played the exasperated bandleader, and the critters played the lovable troublemakers. It was a comedy act, a musical act, and a technical marvel all at once.
From that point on, David Seville wasn’t just a songwriter. He was the creator of a new kind of musical universe — one where tiny voices, big personalities, and clever studio tricks came together to make pure joy.
Happy Birthday David Seville and the (Squirrels) Copy Right Laws
RAG Time Cowboy Joe
Radio Station in the 60's DJ (Johnny Fever )
Radio Station in the 70's KOOL DJ (Johnny Fever)
This Month Sunrise Radio Spotlights the Philly Sound Record Label Cameo/Parkway Next Month We Find Out More About DOT Records
Sunrise Broadcast Bulletin (Daily Updates)
Album Showcase
Segment Features
Vault Vinyl's
Legacy and Lore
Visual Archives
Sunrise Steaming Directories
Legends Remembered & Celebrated — Sunrise Concerts and Tributes
The History of Sunrise Radio and it's Mission
Birthdays Singers and Song Writers
1930 - Bobby Bland
American blues singer. Bobby Bland. His first chart success came in 1957 with 'Farther Up the Road', which reached No.1 on the R&B chart and he had the 1963 US R&B No.1 single 'That's The Way Love Is'. Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He died on 23rd June 2013 at his home in Memphis.
1919 - David Seville
David Seville, The Chipmunks who had the 1958 US No.1 single 'The Chipmunk Song', and the 1959 UK No.11 single 'Ragtime Cowboy Joe'. Seville died on 16th January 1972.
On This Day With the Beatles Group or Individuals
1962 - The Beatles
The Beatles appeared at Aintree Institute in Aintree, Liverpool. The group had played here many times before but this was their last performance at the venue. Brian Epstein became infuriated when the promoter paid The Beatles fee (£15 pounds) with handfuls of loose change. Epstein took this as an insult to the group and made sure that The Beatles never played for that promoter (Brian Kelly) again.
1970 - John Lennon
John Lennon wrote, recorded and mixed his new single 'Instant Karma!' all in one day. It ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history, recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios and arriving in stores only ten days later.
Segment Features
Segment Features
Music News For The Week
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January 23, 1959 — The "Winter Dance Party tour gets underway with a show at the Million Dollar Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Before the tour is over, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper are killed in a plane crash.
1969 — Elvis Presley records "Suspicious Minds" at American Sound, a small studio in Memphis. The song is a huge comeback hit for Elvis and gives him his last #1 hit in the U.S.
2018 — Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond abruptly retires from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
January 24, 1962 —The Beatles sign their first and only management contract. It is with Brian Epstein at his offices in Liverpool, England, just a few weeks after he’d first seen them play live at the Cavern. Being under the age of 21, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and original drummer Pete Best had to have the legal consent of their parents to enter into a contract.
1970 — James "Shep" Sheppard (shown right, top) of the Heartbeats ("A Thousand Miles Away," 1956) and Shep and the Limelites ("Daddy's Home," 1961) is found shot to death in his car on the Long Island, New York Expressway at age 34, the victim of an apparent robbery.
January 26, 1956 — Buddy Holly's first professional recording session is held at Decca Records' Nashville studio. The songs include “Blue Days, Black Nights,” “Rock Around with Ollie Vee,” “Love Me,” “Modern Don Juan,” and the first version of “That’ll Be the Day,” but none becomes a hit.
January 27, 1956 — RCA Victor releases its first Elvis Presley single, "Heartbreak Hotel." It becomes his first #1 pop hit and is enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, at #45 in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2010 edition), and at #87 in the Recording Industry Association of America's Songs of the Century.
1958 — Little Richard, having abandoned rock 'n' roll, enrolls at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, to study theology towards becoming a Seventh Day Adventist minister.
January 28, 1955 — Twelve-year-old Aretha Franklin gives birth to her first child, a son named Clarence.
1956 — Elvis makes his national television debut on Stage Show hosted by veteran swing bandleaders Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey on CBS-TV in New York.
Sources:
Eight Days a Week (Ron Smith)
On This Day in Black Music History (Jay Warner)
Chronology of American Popular Music, 1900-2000 (Frank Hoffman)
calendar.songfacts.com
onthisday.com/music
The History of Sunrise Radio
As Told in the Tradition of Classic AM Broadcasting
In the early days of the station, before the sun rose on its true identity, the signal carried the call letters KVRA — Keep Vinyl Records Alive. It was a small station with a big idea: to preserve the sound, the spirit, and the craftsmanship of the records that built American radio.
KVRA operated with the same pride as the powerhouse AM stations of the era. Real call letters. Real curation. Real radio.
But as the station grew, something became clear. While other online broadcasters used simple titles and playlists, KVRA carried the weight of a heritage operation — a station with a mission, a memory, and a curator who understood the value of a 45 spinning under a warm stylus.
And so, in the finest tradition of AM evolution, the station stepped into a new identity. The call letters remained part of its foundation, but the broadcast name changed to reflect its purpose.
Today, that station is known as Sunrise Radio.
A place where forgotten singles, regional teeners, R&B promos, and rare artifacts are given a home once more. A station built on the belief that some music isn’t just entertainment — it’s history.
Sunrise Radio proudly carries the motto: “You Can’t Find This Anymore.”
But every sunrise has a beginning. And for this station, that beginning was KVRA — the call letters that lit the first spark and set the tone for everything that followed.
Spinning Those Records
Vault Vinyl and Stories behind the songs
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Neil Diamond’s First Three Songs: A Brief History
1. “Blue Destiny” (1958)
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One of Diamond’s earliest known compositions and recordings.
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Released when he was still a teenager experimenting with pop ballad styles.
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Shows his early melodic instincts long before he developed his signature sound.
2. “Hear Them Bells” (1958)
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Another early teen‑era track, recorded around the same time as “Blue Destiny.”
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Reflects the doo‑wop and pop influences surrounding New York in the late ’50s.
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Demonstrates Diamond’s early interest in blending rhythm and melody in a way that would later define his hits.
3. Early 1960–61: The Neil & Jack Singles
Before his solo breakthrough, Diamond briefly recorded as part of the duo Neil & Jack with high‑school friend Jack Packer. These were his first commercially released singles.
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Recorded while Diamond was skipping NYU classes to pitch songs in Tin Pan Alley.
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These early sides didn’t chart, but they were crucial in getting him noticed by publishers and labels.
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Blue Destiny (Original Demo)
Visual Archive
Jukebox of Hits (Sunrise Radio ) power comes from Live365 24/7
