Bruce Channel

Bruce Channel (/ʃəˈnɛl/ shə-NEL; born November 28, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his 1962 number-one hit record "Hey! Baby". Channel was born in Jacksonville, Texas. He was born into a musical family who sang, and his father could also play harmonica, and by the time he was five years old could sing and play guitar, having learned from a cousin who lived in the family home. While he was still in high school, his family moved to Dallas, where he played concerts at benefit shows and youth centers. When he was seventeen, he worked at a butane tank company called Texas Tank with his older brother. Channel performed originally for the radio program Louisiana Hayride and then joined with the harmonica player Delbert McClinton, singing country music. Channel was a regular on the program for six months, and as he remained in Texas, he would have to travel by train there every Saturday morning. He was paid $16.50 a show, but because he then had to pay $11.66 for a train ticket back to Texas, and $1.50 for union dues, Channel would only have less than $4 by the time he got back home. Channel wrote "Hey! Baby" with Margaret Cobb in 1959 and performed the song for two years before recording it for Fort Worth record producer Bill Smith. It was issued originally on Smith's LeCam label, but as it started to sell well, it was acquired for distribution by Smash Records, a subsidiary of Mercury. The song went to number one in the US in March 1962 and held that position for three weeks. Besides topping the U.S. popular music charts, it also became number two in the United Kingdom. It sold more than one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Channel had four more singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Number One Man" (which peaked at number 52), "Come On Baby" (number 98), "Going Back to Louisiana" (number 89), and "Mr. Bus Driver" (number 90, produced by Dale Hawkins in Memphis and recorded by Terry Manning), but none of them was as successful as "Hey! Baby", and he is considered a one-hit wonder. Channel toured Europe and was assisted at one gig by the Beatles, who were then little known. John Lennon, who had "Hey! Baby" on his jukebox, was fascinated by McClinton's harmonica. A popular legend is that Lennon was taught to play harmonica by McClinton, but by that time Lennon had already been playing the instrument live for some time. The harmonica segment in "Hey! Baby" inspired Lennon's playing on the Beatles' first single, 1962's "Love Me Do", as well as later Beatles records, and the harmonica break on Frank Ifield's "I Remember You." Channel's only other top 40 recording in the UK Singles Chart was "Keep On" (June 1968), which reached number 12; it was written by Wayne Carson Thompson and produced by Dale Hawkins. "Keep On" also charted in Australia. Channel disliked touring, so he settled as a songwriter in Nashville, scoring a number of Broadcast Music Incorporated award-winning songs during the 1970s and 1980s – "As Long As I'm Rockin' with You", for John Conlee; "Don't Worry 'bout Me Baby", for Janie Fricke; "Party Time", for T. G. Sheppard; "You're the Best", for Kieran Kane; and "Stand Up", for Mel McDaniel. In 1987, "Hey! Baby" was featured in the popular movie Dirty Dancing. In 1995, Channel recorded his cover of the song "Stand Up" for the Memphis-based record label Ice House. Delbert McClinton reprised his harmonica role on it and several other tracks, including another version of "Hey! Baby". Channel then recorded a project in 2002 with the singer-songwriter Larry Henley (ex-Newbeats), billed as Original Copy. Channel was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He continues to perform in cruises with other 1960s musicians. In 1970, Channel met his wife, Christina, who worked for an agency opeated by Arthur Howe, who had booked Channel for a tour with The Beach Boys. They got married in August 1971, and are still married today. They have lived in Nashville, Tennessee since 1978. Notes List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States List of artists who reached number one in the United States List of performers on Top of the Pops Unterberger, Richie. "Bruce Channel: Biography". Allmusic.com. Retrieved January 21, 2009. Billboard, March 17, 1962, page 31 "Gary James' Interview With Bruce Channel". www.classicbands.com. Retrieved June 10, 2026. "Hey Baby (Bruce Channel) | Jon Kutner". Retrieved June 10, 2026. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles and Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 100. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins. p. 143. ISBN 0-214-20512-6. musicpath (April 12, 2018). "Bruce Channel - Hey Baby!". Making Music and Exploring Music's Roots, Where it was Created. Retrieved June 10, 2026. "Bruce Channel US Discography". 45cat. Retrieved June 10, 2026. "Bruce Channel UK Discography". 45cat. Retrieved June 10, 2026. "Bruce Channel US Singles Discography". 45cat. Retrieved June 10, 2026. "Bruce Channel UK Singles Discography". 45cat. Retrieved June 10, 2026. Bruce Channel at AllMusic