The Del Shannon Collection spans the years 1941 to 1996, with the bulk of the material dating between 1961 and 1986. It consists of awards, clippings, fan club files, flyers, handbills, high school memorabilia, lyrics, newspapers, negatives, pamphlets, personal files, photographs, posters, programs, scrapbooks, sheet music, and slides. Items of note include correspondence between Shannon and his family while on tour in the 1960s and 1970s, Shannon's Cooperville Public School kindergarten graduation certificate and high school scrapbook, personal and professional photographs, and handwritten lyrics to many popular Shannon hits, including "Runaway." The collection documents the personal life and rising fame of a pioneering rock music artist; while the fan club files specifically provide a baseline for how rock music fandom has evolved over time. The Del Shannon Collection is arranged alphabetically by format and then by item. Some materials are stored separately or out of sequence due to size and condition concerns.
Timeline
1934 December 30: Born Charles Weedon Westover in Grand Rapids, Mich.
1954: Drafted into the United States Army.
1958: Begins working in a band at the Hi-Lo Club in Battle Creek, Mich.
1959: Adds Max Crook to his band.
1960: Signs to Bigtop Recording Label.
1960: Changes name to Del Shannon.
1961: Records and releases "Runaway," which reaches number one on the billboard charts.
1963: Forms own label, Berlee Records.
Late 1960s: Continues to have charting success with singles, "Do You Wanna Dance," "Handyman," and a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb."
1970s: Career slows due to personal troubles, mainly with alcoholism.
1990 February 8: Dies in Santa Clarita, Ca. of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.
1999: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Notes
Citation: [Identification of Item], Del Shannon Collection, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Processing Information: Processed by Rachel Somerville, Project Archivist. Completed July 20, 2011. Revised by James A. Kohler, Project Archivist. Completed December 27, 2012. Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS and local processing manual.
Language Note: Collection is primarily in English; materials in Japanese and Swedish are indicated at the file level.
Acquisition Note: The Del Shannon Collection was received by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, Inc. as a loan from Shirley Westover, Kim Wilkerson, and Craig Westover in 2006. The loan was transferred to a gift to the Museum on May 20, 2011.
Separated Materials: Periodicals have been transferred to the library collection. Please search for the "Del Shannon Collection" in the library catalog for a list of donated titles. If you are unable to find what you are looking for, consult the Library and Archives staff to ensure these materials are available.
Exhibition History: "Hats Off to Larry," January 2012-December 2021, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Ahmet Ertegun Gallery.
Access
Collection is open for research. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights statement on the Researcher Registration form before using this collection. Consult the Library and Archives in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available. Some of the materials in the collection are confidential and are, therefore, RESTRICTED. Access copies of these materials may have to be created prior to use. Select original documents are closed. These items are noted at the file level. Patrons must use digital or physical facsimiles of originals. Consult the Library and Archives staff in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.
Use
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library and Archives.
