"Wild Weekend" is an instrumental written by Phil Todaro and Tom Shannon and performed by

The Rockin' Rebels The Rebels (also known as The Rockin' Rebels) were a band from Buffalo, New York, known for their instrumental "Wild Weekend". The original members were Jim Kipler (Guitar), Mick Kipler (Saxophone), Tom Gorman (Drums) and Paul Balon (Bass/Guitar). ...

. 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 South ...

; 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 arrangement, musical arranger, best known for his 1957 Grammy Hall of Fame song, "Raunchy (instrumental), Raunchy". As a ...

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 Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was the American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed The Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...

released a version of the song on his 1968 album ''Born to Be Wild''. *

Andy Mackay Andrew Mackay (born 23 July 1946) is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member (playing oboe and saxophone) of the art rock group Roxy Music. In addition, he has taught music and provided scores for television, while his ...

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 ''In Search of Eddie Riff'' is an album by British musician Andy Mackay, first released on Island Records in 1974. The album was released during a brief hiatus from Roxy Music's recording schedule. A first version came out in 1974, with nine t ...

''. *

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-f ...

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 Euphoria's Id was an American garage rock band formed in Saco, Maine, in 1963. Remembered as a popular live attraction in the New England teen scene, the group released two singles in their recording career, including the band's highly regarded ...

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