Dave Burgess, The Champs Frontman, Dead at 90

Dave Burgess, the frontman of the rock band The Champs, has died. He was 90.

According to an Anglin Funeral Home, Inc. obituary, the late musician died on Sunday, Oct. 19 in Dover, Tenn. where he lived. No cause of death has been revealed.

PEOPLE has reached out to a rep for Burgess.

Born in 1934 in Los Angeles, Burgess was raised by his mother Mariet Eck and stepfather Austin “Tex” Burges from the age of 4. Later on, he legally changed his name to his stepfather’s and added an additional “s.”

In 1957, the beginnings of The Champs began to form while Burgess was working as a DJ in California and writing songs. His tracks “I’m Available” and “I’ll Be There” became hits and helped him land at Gene Autrey’s Challenge Records. 

During his time there, he was not only a solo artist, but also was a session vocalist and guitarist.

One day, Burgess enlisted other musicians to help him with a B-side called “Train to Nowhere,” which eventually became their most well-known song, “Tequila.”

Label executives wanted to released the song but the band needed a name. They considered The Champions, named after Gene Autry’s horse, but shortened it to The Champs.

In 1958, “Tequila” reached the No. 1 spots on the Billboard Pop and R&B charts. It sold more than a million copies and won the inaugural Grammy for Best R&B performance the following year.

Over the years, the song was covered by guitarist Wes Montgomery and rappers A.L.T. and XL Singleton. It also was featured in the 1985 film Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. 

The Champs — which featured members including Glen Campbell, Delaney Bramlett (Delaney and Bonnie), and Jimmy Seals and Dash Crofts (Seals and Crofts) during their tenure — also released several other hits like The Midnighter,” “El Rancho Rock,” “Chariot Rock,” “Caramba,” “Too Much Tequila,” “Tequila Twist,” “Limbo Rock” and “Limbo Dance,” which all earned spots on Billboard and/or Cash Box charts.

By 1965, Burgess disbanded the group. Throughout his career as a musician, songwriter and producer, he also registered over 700 copyrights with BMI and penned songs for Dean Martin, Lou Rawls, Don Gibson, The Lettermen, Marty Robbins, Anne Murray, Eddy Arnold, Engelbert Humperdinck, Ray Price, Gene Vincent, Johnny Rivers, Bing Crosby and Campbell, among others.

He also produced songs for The Champs, as well as Don McLean, Darlene Love and The Blossoms, and Marty Balin.

Following his stint in The Champs, he managed the publishing affairs of Hank Williams, Jr. for over 40 years and received several awards from ASCAP, BMI, and Cash Box.

In 2020, Burgess reformed a version of The Champs in 2020 and released the album Tequila Party.

“I love the music business and love making music, no matter if it’s playing, producing or writing. With Tequila Party, I was able to do all three and I’m extremely happy with the outcome. The Champs have fans throughout the world and I hope they are as pleased with this record as I am,” he said in a statement on his website.

Burgess married Deon Adair Raab, a professional dancer and actress, in 1959.

After spending years in Hollywood, they moved to Montana where they ran an art gallery. Soon, they moved their son David and daughter Charmaine to the Nashville area, so that Burgess could continue working in the music business.

Burgess was preceded in death by his parents and stepfather; his wife; and his daughter. He is survived by his son.