1159 - Del Shannon Keep Searchin´ 1964

One of the best and most original rockers of the early '60s, Del Shannon was also one of the least typical. Although classified at times as a teen idol, he favored brooding themes of abandonment, loss, and rejection. In some respects he looked forward to the British Invasion with his frequent use of minor chords and his ability to write most of his own material. His hit songs include this “Keep Searching (We’ll Follow The Sun)".

1012 - Del Shannon Runaway 1961

"Runaway" was a number one Billboard Hot 100 song in the spring of 1961 by Del Shannon. It was written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, and became a major international hit.
Del Shannon: "We were on stage and Max (Crook) hit an A minor and a G and I said, 'Max, play that again, it's a great change.'" The drummer, Dick Parker, followed them and after 15 minutes, the manager of the club shouted, 'Knock it off, play something else.'" The next day Shannon wrote some lyrics: "That night I went back to the club and I told Max to play an instrumental on his musitron for the middle part, and when he played that solo, we had 'Runaway´".
Suffering from depression, possibly caused by the anti-depressant Prozac, Shannon committed suicide on February 8, 1990, with a 22 caliber rifle. Following his death, the four surviving Wilburys honored him by recording a version of "Runaway".