The Champs Band Leader Dave Burgess Dead at 90
Dave Burgess
‘Tequila’ Hitmaker Dead at 90
Published
Dave Burgess, the leader of the band behind the hit song “Tequila,” is dead.
A musician, songwriter and producer, Dave was the band leader for The Champs … and the group wrote the song “Tequila,” which topped the charts in March 1958 and is still well-known to this day.
Dave died October 19 in Tennessee … according to his obituary. The cause of death is unclear.
In a long and successful career, Dave wrote over 700 copyrighted songs and earned a Grammy at the first ever Grammy Awards in 1958, when “Tequila” won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance.
In Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Pee-wee angers a biker gang by toppling their motorcycles but wins them over by dancing comically to “Tequila” on the bar’s jukebox.
Dave played rhythm guitar for The Champs, which formed in the mid 1950s.
He was born in Los Angeles in 1934 … and eventually moved out of Hollywood and headed for Montana, where he ran an art gallery with his wife, Deon Adair Raab, a professional dancer and actress.
Dave stuck it out in Montana for a couple years then moved with Deon and their two kids to Nashville, where he returned to the music industry.
When he wasn’t making music, Dave was an avid hunter and fisherman.
Dave is survived by his son, David. He was 90.
RIP
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