Sixties Saturday: Boom Boom!

I saw the sad news that Freddy Cannon passed away this past week at age 89.

Freddy’s records were a staple of the oldies shows I used to listen to back in the day. The DJs always made a point of saying he was from Revere, Mass., and they always called him Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon — like it was part of his birth certificate.

1959 — The Blast Begins

Freddy burst onto the scene in 1959 with Tallahassee Lassie on the Swan label:

That’s literally a blast — all snare cracks, handclaps, and teenage rocket fuel.

I remember Freddy saying that Elvis told him he had a copy of Tallahassee Lassie in his home jukebox. How cool is that?

1962 — Summer at the Park

Freddy’s biggest hit — the one everyone remembers — is Palisades Park from 1962:

That sounds like Summer itself: neon lights, roller coasters, cotton candy, and transistor radios turned up too loud!

It used to be a fun trivia nugget that Chuck Barris wrote Palisades Park, but explaining who Chuck Barris was now feels like a whole separate documentary!

1964 — Back‑to‑School Beat

For one more, let’s jump to 1964 with “Abigail Beecher” on Warner Bros:

That’s one of my favorites — pure pep‑rally energy — and it’s been on my Back‑to‑School playlist for ages!

Rest in peace, Freddy. Thanks for all the Boom Boom