January 30 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.
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 On 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
1936 - Horst Jankowski
Horst Jankowski, German pianist who had the 1965 UK No.3 & US No.12 single 'A Walk In The Black Forrest'. He died of cancer on 29th June 1998.
1928 - Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown, US singer who had the 1957 US No.25 single, 'Lucky Lips' and was Atlantic Records top selling artist of the 50s scoring hits such as 'Teardrops from My Eyes' and '(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean'. Brown died on November 17, 2006.
On This Day With the Beatles Group or Individuals
1969 - The Beatles
The Beatles with Billy Preston, played their lunchtime rooftop gig on top of the Apple building on Savile Row, London. Lasting for just over 40 minutes it was the last time The Beatles performed live. The played ‘Get Back’, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’, ‘The One After 909’ and ‘Dig A Pony’. Traffic was brought to a standstill as crowds of people gathered below and watched from windows in nearby buildings. John Lennon ended the performance by saying “I’d like to say ‘Thank you’ on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition.”
Segment Features
Segment Features
Music News For The Week
.January 30, 1961 — The Shirelles become the first black female group to reach #1 in the USA with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"
1969 — The Beatles make their final public appearance, an unannounced performance on the roof of the five-story Apple Records headquarters in London. Police shut it down after 42 minutes when a large lunchtime crowd gathers and neighboring businesses complain about the clamor.
January 31, 1958 — Little Richard announces his retirement from music at the peak of his career to become an evangelist.
February 1, 1947 — Legendary blues musician and mouth harpist Sonny Boy Williamson appears on the precursor to Billboard magazine's R&B music chart with "Shake The Boogie," eventually reaching #4. It is a rollicking performance that foreshadows rock 'n' roll.
1949 — RCA introduces the 45 r.p.m. record, a lightweight, cheap-to-produce, unbreakable vinyl disc. It would outsell 78 r.p.m records by early 1955 and allow small independent labels to compete with major record companies, helping propel the rock 'n' roll revolution. Among RCA's first seven releases this day is a reissue of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's 1946 R&B disc "That's All Right Mama," a tune Elvis Presley would cover for the Sun label in Memphis, Tennessee, on his first record in 1954.
February 2, 1956 — The Coasters sign to Atco Records and have 19 hits in 15 years.
1963 — The Beatles begin their first British tour in Bradford, England, listed last on the bill.
February 3, 1959 — Known as "The Day the Music Died," Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper perish in a light airplane crash (right) near a cornfield north of Mason City, Iowa, during a snowstorm following their Winter Dance Party appearance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.
February 4, 1956 — James Brown records his first single, "Please, Please, Please," for King Records subsidiary Federal in Cincinnati, Ohio. Label owner Syd Nathan hates the song and blames his producer for hiring him, but the record launches Brown's career by selling one million copies and winds up #143 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2010 edition).
February 5, 1975 — Louis Jordan ("Caldonia," "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"), the acknowledged father of rhythm and blues and grandfather of rock 'n' roll, dies of a heart attack at age 66 at his Los Angeles, California, home. A transition artist between the big band swing era and rock 'n' roll, he is among the first 1940s black performers to achieve crossover popularity with a white audience. An influence on Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, James Brown and others, his music inspires the long-running musical Five Guys Named Moe, named for a 1942 Jordan record.
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
