Ross Bagdasarian

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Ross Bagdasarian , also known as David Seville , (* 27. January 1919 in Fresno , California as Rostom Sipan Bagdasarian ; † 16th January 1972 in Beverly Hills , California) was an American singer, songwriter and actor. He became known as the creator of " Alvin and the Chipmunks ".

life and career

His parents were Armenians and immigrated to the United States from the Ottoman Empire . Seville celebrated his first success with the single Come On-a My House , which he wrote for Rosemary Clooney with his cousin, the author William Saroyan . He was the first to record his voice at different speeds. He released records with it as The Chipmunks . He is modeled on the adult in the resulting cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks . The Chipmunks still exist today through recordings, TV series and film adaptations.

On the side, he also worked as a supporting actor in around a dozen films in the 1950s, the best known is probably his appearance as a penniless composer in Alfred Hitchcock's thriller The Window to the Court with James Stewart and Grace Kelly .

In Germany, David Seville only landed one hit with Witch Doctor , which reached number 12 in the charts in 1958. After Seville died of a heart attack in 1972, his son Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. (* 1949) continued the band.

Hits

  • 1958: The Chipmunk Song
  • 1958: Witch Doctor
  • 1959: Alvin's Harmonica

Filmography

  • 1952: The Greatest Show on Earth (The Greatest Show on Earth)
  • 1952: Viva Zapata!
  • 1953: A Song, a Kiss, a Girl (The Stars are Singing)
  • 1953: Through the Yellow Hell (Destination Gobi)
  • 1953: The Girls of Pleasure Island
  • 1954: Stalag 17
  • 1954: White Death in Alaska (Alaska Seas)
  • 1954: The Rear Window
  • 1955: Meet Mr. McNutley (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1955: The Pepsi-Cola-Playhouse (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1955: Kismet
  • 1956: Fire in Blood (Hot Blood)
  • 1956: Heroes can cry too (The Proud and Profane)
  • 1956: Three Violent People
  • 1957: The Devil's Curve (The Devil's Hairpin)
  • 1958: Breakthrough at Dawn (The Deep Six)
  • 1959: The Dick Clark Show (TV series, 1 episode)
  • 1961: The Alvin Show (TV series, 2 episodes)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ehnert, Günter (Ed.): Hit balance sheet. German chart singles 1956-1980 . Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990, p. 184
personal data
SURNAME Bagdasarian, Ross
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Seville, David; Bagdasarian, Rostom Sipan (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH January 27, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Fresno , California , USA
DATE OF DEATH January 16, 1972
Place of death Beverly Hills , California, USA