Once thought consigned to the Baby Boomer nostalgia bin, David Seville's Alvin and the Chipmunks received a major revival when the 2007 Twentieth Century Fox film, starring Jason Lee, was a surprise hit. Despite getting reamed by critics, Alvin and the Chipmunks earned $361 million in total box office and its 2009 'Squeakquel' was even more successful, earning $442 million worldwide.
What's the story behind these singing, dancing cartoon chipmunks?
David Seville Created Alvin and the Chipmunks
Any discussion of Alvin and the Chipmunks has to start with David Seville (1919 - 1972), who created and originally voiced the rodents.
Born Ross Bagdasarian, David Seville was an Armenian-American actor, singer and songwriter who – along with his playwright cousin William Saroyan – penned Rosemary Clooney's 1951 hit 'Come On-A My House' and Alfie and Harry's 1954 hit 'The Trouble With Harry'. As an actor, Seville never got past the bit part stage – his biggest appearance was in Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Rear Window – and he was having difficulties following up on his initial success.
According to his son Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Seville was down to his last $200 when he blew $190 of it on a V-M tape recorder, a unit that allowed him to vary the tape speed more than simply cutting it in half. Using this control, Seville learned to manipulate his voice, speeding it up or slowing it down for effect.
Varying tape speed on actors' voices was nothing new: Walt Disney used it in the mid-40's for his Chip and Dale animated shorts, Mel Blanc used it when voicing Daffy Duck, and several voices in 1939's The Wizard of Oz were manipulated to raise or lower their pitch. However, Seville became so associated with the technique that the phrase 'chipmunk-voice' has since become the term for any vocal track that has been sped up.
Seville first used the technique on 1958's 'The Witch Doctor,' where he sang a duet with a sped-up version of himself: a witch doctor whose nonsense syllables teach the unfortunate Seville how to be lucky in love. He recorded the 'witch doctor' voice at 1/4 speed, turning it into a helium-voiced falsetto when the tape was played at regular pitch. 'The Witch Doctor' hit #1 but his follow-up single using the same technology, 'The Bird on My Head,' laid an egg.
'The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)' Launched Alvin and the Chipmunks
Desperately seeking another hit – and pestered by his children about what they were going to get for Christmas – Seville wrote what would become 'The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late).' Released in the fall of 1958, the song once again featured Seville singing alongside sped-up versions of himself: this time he voiced a trio of chipmunks trying to sing a holiday tune with Seville screaming "Alllvviiinnn!" at the most reluctant rodent.
As a tribute to several executives on his label Liberty Records, Seville named the 3 chipmunks Alvin (after Alvin Bennett), Simon (Simon Waronker) and Theodore (Ted Keep). 'The Chipmunk Song' was an immediate smash, taking the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 for 4 weeks, and earning 3 Grammy Awards plus a nomination for Record of the Year.
Seeking to capitalize on The Chipmunks' sudden success, Liberty Records rushed the 1959 record Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks into stores. The platter also included 'The Witch Doctor,' which perpetuated the myth that The Chipmunks were responsible for that tune as well. Troublemaker Alvin swiftly became the group's leader and star, bedeviling Seville at every opportunity. However, the act would remain The Chipmunks until the 1980's.
The Chipmunks' success naturally spawned a horde of imitations. The most blatant were the short-lived TV series The Nutty Squirrels, 1980's imitations The Happy Hamsters, and Arc Records' 1963 release Christmas With the Chippers, which also featured sped-up voices singing Christmas tunes. None of them did well.
In 1960, Seville hooked up with Format Films to create the animated The Alvin Show, where he voiced himself and the Chipmunks, and wrote the songs with composer John Mann. After getting hammered by NBC's Wagon Train, CBS canceled the series after one season. After that setback, The Chipmunks continued their career on LP, recording a slew of parody/tribute records, including 1964's The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits.
With 1969's The Chipmunks Go to the Movies, Seville retired from showbiz to concentrate on his highly successful grape-growing business, becoming the biggest supplier for Gallo Wines. He died of a heart attack in 1972.
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