Ross S. Bagdasarian (; January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), known professionally by his stage name David "Dave" Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor best known for creating the cartoon band

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in ...

. Initially a stage and film actor, he rose to prominence in 1958 with the songs "

Witch Doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor), or witchcraft doctor, is a kind of magical healer who treats ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is often misunderstood, and they could more accurately be called "anti-witch doctors ...

" and "

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a 1958 novelty Christmas carol written and recorded by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville). Bagdasarian sang the Christmas carol, varying the tape speeds to produce high-pitc ...

", which both became ''Billboard'' number-one singles. He produced and directed ''

The Alvin Show ''The Alvin Show'' is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. ''The Alvin Show'' aired for one season, from October 4, 19 ...

'', which aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

in 1961–62.

Early life

Bagdasarian was born on January 27, 1919, in

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

to an Armenian-American family. His father was a grape grower. He had two elder brothers: Richard Sirak (1910–1966) and Harry Sisvan (1915–1989). The novelist

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''The ...

, with whom he was very close, was his first cousin. Bagdasarian graduated from Fresno High School in 1937. He went to New York to work with his cousin Saroyan with the intention of becoming an actor. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

started, he enlisted and served four years as a control tower operator and rose to the rank of a

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

(SSgt) in the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. He spent time in England, France and Spain; his later stage name "David Seville" originated from the fact that he was stationed in the city of

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

in Spain and he liked the city. After the war, he returned to Fresno and married Armenouhi "Armen" Kulhanjian, and they tried for a time to be grape growers. They were unsuccessful and they moved to Los Angeles where he started a career as a songwriter.

Career

Acting

Bagdasarian's Broadway debut was in 1939 when he played the newsboy in '' The Time of Your Life'' by

, his cousin. He also appeared in minor roles in several films, such as ''

Viva Zapata! ''Viva Zapata!'' is a 1952 American biographical Western film directed by Elia Kazan, dramatizing the life of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata from his peasant upbringing through his rise to power in the early 1900s and his death in 1919. I ...

'' (1952), ''

Stalag 17 ''Stalag 17'' is a 1953 American war film directed by Billy Wilder. It tells the story of a group of American airmen confined with 40,000 prisoners in a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp "somewhere on the Danube". Their compound holds ...

'' (1953), '' Destination Gobi'' (1953), and '' The Proud and Profane'' (1956). In

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's ''

Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery film, mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "After-Dinner Story, It Had to Be Murder". Originally released ...

'' (1954), he is the lonely composer at the piano.

Singing and songwriting

Bagdasarian's first major success with songwriting came with " Come On-a My House", which he co-wrote with William Saroyan in 1939. The song was rejected by many record companies as being "too ethnic", and it was not recorded until 1950 (by Kay Armen). The songwriters themselves recorded it as a duet in 1951.

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

came across the song and persuaded

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...

to record it. It became a million-selling hit. It is an adaptation of an Armenian folk song Bagdasarian wrote with his cousin

. The song was originally composed for their

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

musical ''The Son''. It launched Clooney's career, reaching number one on ''Billboard'' charts and was number four on ''Billboard'' year-end top 30 singles of 1951. The song sold some 750,000 records in a month. In 1954, Bagdasarian wrote " Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine", a hit for

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

. In 1955 Bagdasarian signed with the then newly established

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Alvin Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous rev ...

. In early 1956 he had a transcontinental hit with the novelty record "The Trouble with Harry" (inspired by the homonymous Hitchcock film) credited to Alfi & Harry, although Alfi & Harry was just one person, Bagdasarian himself. It reached No. 44 on the ''Billboard'' chart and was a bigger hit in the United Kingdom reaching No. 15. In 1956, he wrote an instrumental "Armen's Theme" named after his wife. The executives at Liberty Records suggested that he adopt a pseudonym as they thought his name too difficult to pronounce. In December 1956, he charted with his first record credited to his David Seville pseudonym, and "Armen's Theme" reached No. 42 on the ''Billboard'' chart.

Dave Seville and the Chipmunks

Bagdasarian's rise to prominence came with the song "

" in 1958, which was created after he experimented with the speed control on a

tape recorder An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...

bought with $200 () from the family savings.

released this

novelty record A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

under the David Seville name. It is a duet between his real voice and accelerated version. The record went on to become a ''Billboard'' number-one single by April 28, 1958, and further established him as a songwriter. It sold 1.5 million copies. Bagdasarian went on to create his trio of Chipmunks named after the executives of Liberty Records: Simon, Theodore, and Alvin, named for Simon "Si" Waronker, Theodore "Ted" Keep, and Alvin Bennett. Their debut song, "

" was released on November 17, 1958, and became a number one hit by New Years Day. The song sold 4 million records in the first few months. It topped ''Billboard'' charts the two weeks before and two weeks after New Years and won three Grammy Awards at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards on May 4, 1959: Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Non-Classical Engineered Song. Bagdasarian won the first two as David Seville. The song was the 23rd most performed Christmas song of the 20th century. Shana Alexander, writing for ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine in 1959, noted that Bagdasarian was the first case in the "annals of popular music that one man has served as writer, composer, publisher, conductor and multiple vocalist of a hit record, thereby directing all possible revenues from the song back into his pocket." Alexander also found it remarkable that Bagdasarian "can neither read nor write music nor play any musical instrument in the accepted sense of the word." Bagdasarian owned Chipmunk Enterprises, which sponsored Chipmunk-related sales. By 1963, some 15 companies were using or planned to use Alvin figures. By that year, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine estimated the total income from the Chipmunks' record sales (including overseas sales) and record club sales to be around $20 million ($ adjusted for inflation in dollars). In the following years, the Chipmunks released several hit songs: "Alvin's Harmonica" (1959), "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" (1959), "Alvin's Orchestra" (1960), "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (1960), "The Alvin Twist" (1962), and the album '' The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits'' in 1964 during the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...

. Bagdasarian produced ''

'', a half-hour TV cartoon show broadcast on

from October 1961 to September 1962. In 1968, Alvin and the Chipmunks recorded a version of "The Chipmunk Song" with the rock band

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

, who also recorded for Liberty Records.

Personal life

Bagdasarian married Armenouhi "Armen" Kulhanjian (1927–1991) in 1946. They had three children: Carol Askine (b. 1947), an actress; Ross Jr. (b. 1949); and Adam Serak (b. 1954), a fiction writer. They lived in Los Angeles from 1950. As of 1963, he owned a grape ranch in California called the Chipmunk Ranch. In the mid-1960s, he bought Sierra Wine Corp., a winery that supplied product, among others, to

E & J Gallo Winery Gallo is an American wine producer and distributor headquartered in Modesto, California. Previously called E & J Gallo Winery, it was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo of the Gallo family, and is the largest exporter of Califor ...

Death and legacy

Bagdasarian died of a heart attack at his home in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

on January 16, 1972, eleven days before his 53rd birthday. He was cremated and inurned at the

Chapel of the Pines Crematory Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street, Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California, in the West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown. It is beside Angelus-Rosedale ...

in Los Angeles. Bagdasarian willed the Chipmunks franchise to his wife and three children. Ross Jr. said in an interview that he "worshipped" his father and felt a need to continue his work. He resumed the franchise with his wife

Janice Karman Janice Karman Bagdasarian is an American filmmaker, designer, actress, and singer. She is the co-owner of Bagdasarian Productions with her husband Ross Bagdasarian Jr. Early life Karman was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father was ps ...

in the late 1970s, after finishing law school, and became the complete owner when he bought the rights from his siblings in the mid-1990s.

Discography

Albums

*''The Music of David Seville'' (1957 Liberty 3073) *''The Witch Doctor Presents: David Seville...and his Friends'' (1958 Liberty 3092) *'' Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks'' (1959 Liberty 3132) *'' Sing Again with the Chipmunks'' (1960 Liberty) *'' Around the World with the Chipmunks'' (1960 Liberty Records) *''

'' (1961 Liberty Records/Capitol) *'' The Chipmunk Songbook'' (1962 Capitol/Liberty) *'' Christmas with the Chipmunks'' (1962 Liberty) *'' Christmas with the Chipmunks Vol. 2'' (1963 Liberty Records) *'' The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles Hits'' (1964 Sunset/Liberty; as Alvin and the Chipmunks with David Seville) *'' Chipmunks à Go-Go'' (1965 Liberty 3424; as Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville) *''The Mixed-up World of Bagdasarian'' (1966 Liberty 7451; recorded under David Seville's real name, Ross Bagdasarian)

Filmography

* '' The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1952) as Spectator (uncredited) * ''

'' (1952) as Officer (uncredited) * '' The Stars Are Singing'' (1953) as Song Promoter (uncredited) * '' Destination Gobi'' (1953) as Paul Sabatello * '' The Girls of Pleasure Island'' (1953) as Marine (uncredited) * ''

'' (1953) as Singing Prisoner of War (uncredited) * '' Alaska Seas'' (1954) as Joe, Jim's crewman * ''

'' (1954) as Songwriter/pianist * '' Kismet'' (1955) as Fevvol (uncredited) * '' Hot Blood'' (1956) as Gas Station Attendant (uncredited) * '' The Proud and Profane'' (1956) as Louie * '' Three Violent People'' (1956) as Asuncion Ortega * '' The Devil's Hairpin'' (1957) as Tani Ritter * '' The Deep Six'' (1958) as Pvt. Aaron Slobodjian * ''

'' (1961–1962, TV Series) as Alvin, Simon, Theodore and David Seville (voice, final appearance)

References

;Notes ;Citations

Bibliography

External links

* *
History area on TheChipmunks.com
with some photos and stories about Ross Bagdasarian *

Allmusic Entry AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the data ...

*
''David Seville'' Review at Rockabilly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagdasarian, Ross 1919 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American pianists American male television actors American male voice actors American male film actors Singer-songwriters from California American male singer-songwriters American novelty song performers Grammy Award winners Liberty Records artists American people of Armenian descent Alvin and the Chipmunks Record producers from California Male actors from Fresno, California Musicians from Fresno, California Writers from Fresno, California Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory Animation composers American male pianists 20th-century male pianists United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers 20th-century American male singers