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Ross Bagdasarian Sr.American pianist, singer, songwriter, actor and music producer of Armenian descent
Date of Birth: 27.01.1919
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Ross Bagdasarian Sr.
- Early Life and Career
- Success with 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'
- Influence on Voice Alteration
- Legacy and Later Career
- Continuation of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'
Biography of Ross Bagdasarian Sr.
Ross Bagdasarian Sr., an American pianist, singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer of Armenian descent, is best known by his stage name David Seville. He is most famously associated with the franchise 'Alvin and the Chipmunks', the characters of which he created. Born as Rostom Sipan 'Ross' Bagdasarian on January 27, 1919, in Fresno, California, he was the son of Armenian immigrants from the Ottoman Empire.
Early Life and Career
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Bagdasarian was drafted into the U.S. Army and served until the end of World War II. He later joined the cast of the Broadway production 'The Time of Your Life', written by his famous cousin William Saroyan. Bagdasarian achieved his first musical success in 1951 with Saroyan's song 'Come on-a My House'. He went on to play small roles in several films, including Alfred Hitchcock's thriller 'Rear Window' in 1954, where he portrayed a pianist who composed, played, and sang the song 'Lisa'.
Success with 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'
In 1956, Bagdasarian gained some fame with the song 'Alfi and Harry' from Hitchcock's comedy thriller 'The Trouble with Harry'. Then, in the summer of 1958, he created the hit song 'Witch Doctor'. To achieve a unique, squeaky, and high-pitched voice, Bagdasarian experimented by speeding up the playback of the sound track. His next song, 'The Bird on My Head', reached the Top 40. In 1959, his Christmas composition 'The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)' won two Grammy Awards. This song was performed by the cartoon group of chipmunks called 'Alvin and the Chipmunks', which Bagdasarian had created.
Influence on Voice Alteration
Prior to Bagdasarian, voice speed alteration had already been practiced by Walt Disney for the Chip 'n Dale animated series. However, the fast and squeaky dialogues were difficult to understand, so very short phrases of the cartoon characters were used for better comprehension. Bagdasarian, by using cassette devices during the recording process, achieved a more intelligible sound between the extreme octaves for both singing and regular dialogue. For the first 'chipmunk' song, 'The Chipmunk Song', Bagdasarian voiced all three chipmunk characters – Theodore, Simon, and Alvin. Subsequently, the voices of his cartoon characters were almost always performed by women, whose voices were recorded at about a quarter slower than the normal speed.
Legacy and Later Career
Bagdasarian's chipmunks released several more singles, a red vinyl album, and covered several early hits by The Beatles. Bagdasarian voiced the musician David Seville and Alvin in the short-lived animated series 'The Alvin Show' from 1961 to 1962. His last album, 'The Chipmunks Go to the Movies', was released in 1969, three years before his death.
On January 16, 1972, Bagdasarian was found dead, eleven days before his birthday, due to a heart attack. His body was cremated at the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles, California.
Continuation of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'
After Bagdasarian's death, the Chipmunks continued to exist until 1979. His son, Ross Jr., took over the voice roles along with his wife, Janice Karman. Ross Jr. admitted that he himself was surprised to follow in his father's footsteps, stating, "I respected my father, but I didn't want to do what he did. It was his creation. If he had stayed alive, I would never have done it. But when he suddenly passed away, it was the only way to continue his work and keep what he brought to life."
In the end credits of the 2007 film 'Alvin and the Chipmunks', it is written, "This film is dedicated to Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who was crazy enough to invent three singing chipmunks almost 50 years ago."
