The Rebels (also known as The Rockin' Rebels) were a
band from
Buffalo, New York, known for their
instrumental "
Wild Weekend
"Wild Weekend" is an instrumental written by Phil Todaro and Tom Shannon and performed by The Rockin' Rebels. It reached #8 on the U.S. pop chart and #28 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1963. The song was originally recorded as the theme for Shanno ...
". The original members were Jim Kipler (Guitar), Mick Kipler (Saxophone), Tom Gorman (Drums) and Paul Balon (Bass/Guitar).
"Wild Weekend"
"Wild Weekend" was written by radio entertainer
Tom Shannon and Phil Todaro as a theme song for Shannon's
WKBW weekend radio show. The lyrics were: "Top tunes, news and weather, so glad we can get together... on the Tom Shannon show... KB radio... KB Radio." It was recorded with vocals and music by the Russ Hallet trio.
A local band, the Buffalo Rebels – or just Rebels – who asked Shannon to play at a
record hop also asked if they could play an instrumental-only version of his theme song. They did, and Shannon and Todaro thought there was something to it. They moved the group to a recording studio in the same building where they had a production office. The record came out locally and was a hit, but since it wasn't on a major label, the song did not go any further. It came out on Marlee Records (ML0094) and Casino Records (1307).
Two years later the track was re-issued on
Swan Records (Swan 4125). It sold more than 1 million copies, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard charts and earned an appearance for the band on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" TV show. The Rockin' Rebels were inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
To avoid confusion with
Duane Eddy and his Rebels, the Rebels became the Rockin' Rebels. Swan pressings can be found with either name; the British
Stateside
Stateside may refer to:
* stateside, an informal adjective or adverb meaning "in the United States"
**Stateside Puerto Ricans
**Stateside Virgin Islands Americans
Stateside Virgin Islands Americans are West Indian Americans who hold US citizens ...
pressings had "Rockin'". The band's 1963
LP uses the name "The Rockin' Rebels".
While the instrumental is the best-known version, the original lyrics were, as mentioned above, a promo for the Shannon radio show. Shannon would tweak the lyrics when he moved to
WHTT many years later.
Paul Balon died of
heart disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...
on December 17, 2003 at age 61.
Tom Gorman died; however, no information about his death is available.
Shannon retired in 2005. He died May 26, 2021 in California, following a brief illness.
Sources
Osborne Enterprises & Jellyroll ProductionsIn the year 1958, several important instrumental acts arrived on the scene
from Collectors Universe
Play the record at YouTube
;Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebels, The
Surf music groups
Musical groups from Buffalo, New York
Swan Records artists