Robert Lee "Chan" Romero (July 7, 1941 – April 21, 2024) was an American rock and roll performer, best known for his 1959 song "Hippy Hippy Shake".
Romero was born in Billings, Montana. His father was of Spanish and Apache descent, while his mother was a mixture of Mexican, Cherokee, and Irish. Both had migrated to Montana during the Great Depression, seeking employment as migrant farm workers. The nickname "Chan" was bestowed on Romero by his grandfather. Since Romero often ran around without footwear, the nickname, from a Spanish phrase meaning "little boy with pig's feet" seemed appropriate.
His mother sang and his brothers played guitars. He followed their example, and began writing songs. During his summer holiday from Billings Senior High School, he hitchhiked to East Los Angeles to stay with some relatives. A cousin drove him to Specialty Records in Hollywood, where the A&R man, Sonny Bono, liked his song “My Little Ruby” and told him to come back when he’d polished it up.
Back in Billings, Romero auditioned for a local DJ, Don “The Weird Beard” Redfield, who became his manager and sent a demo to Bob Keane at Del-Fi Records in Hollywood. Keane had recorded the Chicano singer Richie Valens, enjoying hits with “Donna” and “La Bamba”. It seemed a good match and Keane promptly signed Romero.
Romero said Elvis Presley's 1956 performance of "Hound Dog" on The Steve Allen Show was a turning point in his life. He hitchhiked to East Los Angeles, California, in 1958 while still a teenager, where he wrote "Hippy Hippy Shake" and launched his career. An uncle introduced Romero and his music to an A&R representative from Specialty Records: Sonny Bono. Bono was particularly taken with a song called "My Little Ruby" and asked Romero to polish the song and to return in a few weeks. But since Romero needed to return to school in Montana, he never returned to Specialty.
Romero's career skyrocketed with the release of "Hippy Hippy Shake" in July 1959. Released first in North America and later in Australia and the UK, it soon came to the attention of Paul McCartney who liked the song and sang it at the Cavern Club in Liverpool and the Star Club in Hamburg during his early years with The Beatles. It also did well enough in Australia for Romero to do a tour there with Jerry Lee Lewis. The 1964 version by The Swinging Blue Jeans hit number one across Europe.
Romero became the first Latino to be inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. His work bore a resemblance to that of Ritchie Valens, and the two ended up on the same record label. After Valens died in a plane crash, Romero was introduced to Valens' grieving mother, with whom Romero became close. Her home served as Romero's home during his visits to Los Angeles; he slept in Valens' bedroom. He remained close to the Valens family and performed at the Ritchie Valens memorial concert held yearly in Pacoima, California.
Romero's first visit to Palm Springs, California in 1964 inspired him to make the area his home. In later life, he still resided in the area and divided his time between Palm Springs and Billings. Romero's daughter stated in 2023 that Chan no longer received royalties for his music.
“Elvis had a strong effect on me. It just took me over and I said this is what I want to do,” Romero told MTN News in 2023 in a video interview from his home in southern California.
Romero died on April 21, 2024, at the age of 82.
(edited from Wikipedia)