The Champs Biography & Awards

Billboard requires a JavaScript enabled browser to get the full experience

Artist Info

Formed

1957 Los Angeles, CA

Members

Joe Burnas, Chuck Rio, Cliff Hills, Dave Burgess, Bobby Morris, Glen Campbell, Dave Norris, Jim Seals, Buddy Bruce, Gene Alden, Dash Crofts

Biography

An instrumental quintet formed in Los Angeles in 1957, the Champs comprised Challenge Records executive Dave Burgess (born Lancaster, CA) (guitar) and session players Buddy Bruce (guitar), Chuck Rio (born Daniel Flores, Rankin, TX) (saxophone), Cliff Hills (bass), and Gene Alden (born Cisco, TX) (drums). This lineup recorded Rio's "Tequila" as a B-side to Burgess' "Train to Nowhere." "Tequila" topped the charts in 1958. The Champs essentially were a one-hit wonder, though they recorded a few more singles in the same Latin dance style and kept going until the mid-'60s. The group's lineup was fluid, and later members included Glen Campbell as well as Jimmy Seals and Dash Crofts, who formed the successful '70s duo Seals and Crofts. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide