"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 Shannon's show on WKBW in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

; the song title is not found in the song's original lyrics (Shannon's show aired on weekdays). and was later reworked and featured on The Rebels 1962 album ''Wild Weekend''. The song ranked #22 on ''Billboard'' magazine's Top 100 singles of 1963.

Other versions

Bill Justis William Everett Justis Jr. (October 14, 1926 – July 16, 1982) was an American pioneer rock and roll musician, composer, and musical arranger, best known for his 1957 Grammy Hall of Fame song, " Raunchy". As a songwriter, he was also often credi ...

released a version of the song on his 1963 album ''Bill Justis Plays 12 Instrumental Smash Hits''. * Disc jockey

Joey Reynolds Joseph Pinto, better known as Joey Reynolds, is a long-time radio show host and disc jockey. Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV in Buffalo at WGR TV 2 and he worked at various stations, including at WNBC. Career His first radio job was ...

(who had worked with Shannon at WWKB) added lyrics to make this the theme song for his nightly show on WPOP, Hartford, 1963. *

The Surfaris The Surfaris are an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California, United States, in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" and " Wipe Out", which ...

released a version of the song on their 1963 album '' Wipe Out''. * Kim Fowley released a version of the song on his 1968 album ''Born to Be Wild''. * Andy Mackay released a version of the song as a single in 1974 in the UK, but it did not chart. It was featured on his album '' In Search of Eddie Riff''. *

Jon and the Nightriders Jon & The Nightriders was an American instrumental surf music band known formed in Southern California in 1979. Fundamentally consisting of guitarist/songwriter John Blair (musician/historian), John Blair, the band is credited for ushering in a ren ...

released a version of the song on their 1987 album ''Stampede!'' *

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1989 with lyrics entitled "It's a Wild Weekend", but it did not chart. * Euphoria's Id released a live version of the song on their 2003 compilation album ''Mastering the Art of French Kissing''. *

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

released a version of the song on their 2009 compilation album with

The Fabulous Wailers The Wailers, often known as The Fabulous Wailers, were an American rock band from Tacoma, Washington. They became popular in the Pacific Northwest from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, performing saxophone-driven R&B and Chuck Berry rock and ...

entitled ''Two Car Garage (50 Years of Rock 'N Roll)''. * Beaver Brown released a live version of the song on their 2017 album ''Live at the Bottom Line 1980''. The Thunderbirds (Australia) charted with a single in 1961

References

1962 songs 1962 singles 1974 singles 1989 singles Bill Justis songs The Surfaris songs The Ventures songs Swan Records singles Island Records singles Virgin Records singles Surf instrumentals 1960s instrumentals {{1960s-single-stub