From humble beginnings in a Christmas song to a billion-dollar global franchise, Alvin and the Chipmunks have come a long way.
Ross Bagdasarian Sr. was struggling to make a hit song when he spent $190 of his last $200 on a tape recorder in 1958 to speed up his voice. The result was "Witch Doctor," a song with a high-pitched chorus that became an astonishing hit. From this came the inspiration for "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," which was released later that year, and thus, the chipmunk trio was born.
Named for three record executives from the Chipmunks' original label, Alvin, Theodore, and Simon became fan favorites. They were animated in 1961 for a short-lived television series and released a number of albums until the death of Bagdasarian Sr.
Bagdasarian's son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., took control of the family company, Bagdasarian Productions, and in the early '80s, he and his wife, Janice Karman, revived the Chipmunks.
Since buying out the company from his siblings in the '90s, Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife have kept the Chipmunks a family affair.
In the years since, they've appeared in TV cartoons, released more albums, and they've been featured in a number of films. But it hasn't always been easy for the chipmunk trio — they have been involved in some lawsuits over the years.
Check out the Chipmunks' legacy below:
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Rostom Sipan "Ross" Bagdasarian was an actor and musician known for his appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window." He was making novelty records in the late '50s when he bought a tape recorder that allowed him to vary tape speed and released the song "Witch Doctor" in 1958. It reached No. 1.
That fall, he released "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," which marked the debut of his chipmunk trio.
The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in 1959 and the song won three Grammys: best comedy performance, best engineered record (non-classical) and best recording for children. It also reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, the only Chipmunks song to do so, and stayed there for four weeks.
(Sourece: Los Angeles Times and Billboard)
He named the three chipmunks Simon, Theodore, and Alvin, after three record executives, and gave them a human caretaker named David Seville, Bagdasarian's stage name. Bagdasarian voiced all three chipmunks and the human David for much of his career. He also started Bagdasarian Productions to handle the Chipmunks franchise.
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