Rock ‘n’ roll was music for teenagers. That’s what was magic about it. The best of those ’50s and early ’60s singles are the ones that treat teenage concerns — life-altering crushes, soul-obliterating ...

If you’re not in the music business, you probably don’t know who Max Crook is. But you might know of his work. In the early 1960s, crooner Del Shannon released the ethereal hit “Runaway,” which went ...

A simple minor chord strummed on the guitar sets the mood for the 1961 smash hit “Runaway.” The tinkling piano, upright bass, drums, and baritone saxophone back the simple figure. Del Shannon would go ...

In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present. Rock ‘n’ roll ...