Chan Romero
| Chan Romero | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Lee Romero |
| Born |
July 7, 1941 Billings, Montana, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, guitarist |
| Labels | Del-Fi Records |
Robert Lee "Chan" Romero (born July 7, 1941, Billings, Montana, United States) is an American rock and roll performer, best known for his seminal 1959 song, "Hippy Hippy Shake".
Romero's heritage was rather mixed. His father was of Spanish and Apache stock while his mother was a mix of Mexican, Cherokee and Irish. Both had migrated to Montana during the Great Depression, seeking employment as migrant farm workers. His nickname was bestowed on him by his grandfather. Since Romero often ran around without footwear, the nickname, from a Spanish phrase meaning "little boy with pig's feet" seemed appropriate.
Romero cites a major turning point in his life in 1955. That was the year Elvis Presley performed "Hound Dog" on The Steve Allen Show. Presley was Romero's biggest influence prior to the arrival of Valens.
The teenaged Chan Romero hitchhiked to East Los Angeles, California in 1958. It was there he wrote "Hippy Hippy Shake" and thus launched his career. An uncle introduced Romero and his music to an A&R representative from Specialty Records: Sonny Bono. Bono was particularly taken with a song called "My Little Ruby" and asked Romero to polish the song and to return in a few weeks. Romero needed to return to school in Montana and never returned to Specialty.
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