Early Rock and Roll Era Hitmaker Dies at 89

Freddy Cannon, who brought energy and vigor to pop radio playlists in the late 1950s and early 1960s, died on Friday (July 17) in a California hospice facility.  He was 89.

Cannon’s longtime friend, iHeart Radio’s Tom Cuddy, confirmed that Cannon died following a brief bout with cancer. His children Conny and Billy were with him in the days before his death.

Cannon landed three top 10 Hot 100 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Tallahassee Lassie” (No. 6 in 1959), “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” (No. 3 in 1960) and “Palisades Park” (No. 3 in 1962). His nickname “Boom Boom” was inspired by the big bass drum sound on his records.

“Way Down Yonder in New Orleans,” a rock and roll cover version of a song that dates to 1922, also made No. 3 on the Official UK Singles Chart. Cannon’s album, The Explosive! Freddy Cannon, reached No. 1 on the Official UK Albums Chart in March 1960. Cannon was just the fourth artist connected to rock and roll to top the UK album chart, following Bill Haley & the Comets, Elvis Presley and Tommy Steele.

Cannon reportedly holds the record for the most appearances on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand (110 appearances). Cannon made the top 15 on the Hot 100 in 1965 with “Action” from Clark’s daily ABC-TV series Where the Action Is.

Cannon notched 23 Hot 100 hits between 1959 and 1981. His first name was spelled “Freddie” instead of “Freddy” on four of his chart hits, including “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans.”

Cannon landed his final Hot 100 entry in 1981 with a song called “Let’s Put the Fun Back in Rock N Roll,” on which he was joined by The Belmonts, who were Dion’s backing group.

Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. was born on Dec. 4, 1936 in Revere, Mass. He was raised in Lynn, Mass. He lived in the state until he was in his late teens when he and his wife Jeanette moved to Philadelphia on the advice of legendary TV host Dick Clark. That was where Clark produced his daily American Bandstand broadcast for ABC-TV.

Cannon worked with some of the top musical performers of that era, including Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chubby Checker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Connie Francis and Brenda Lee. He performed on many of the popular music TV shows of the era, including Shindig, The Midnight Special, Hullabaloo, Where the Action Is and Sha Na Na.

Cannon co-wrote “Tallahassee Lassie” with Bob Crewe and Frank Slay. Crewe was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985. “Palisades Park” was written by Chuck Barris, who achieved his greatest fame as the host of The Gong Show.

Several movies over the years have featured Cannon’s hits, including Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (director George Clooney’s 2002 film about Barris) and 2011’s X-Men: First Class.

Cannon wrote a biography with author Mark Bego in 2011 entitled Where the Action Is.

All three of Cannon’s top 10 hits have been covered by other artists.

Jan & Dean covered “Tallahassee Lassie” on their 1963 album Surf City and Other Swingin’ Cities, which reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200. The Peter Green edition of Fleetwood Mac covered the song on their 1995 album Live at the BBC. The Rolling Stones released a version of the song on their 2011 re-release of their classic 1978 album Some Girls.

The Beach Boys covered “Palisades Park” on 15 Big Ones, a top 10 album on the Billboard 200 in 1976. Another track on that album (“Talk to Me”) included an interpolation of “Tallahassee Lassie.”

Ramones included “Palisades Park” on their 1989 album Brain Drain, which reached No. 122 on the Billboard 200. Shelley Fabares and Gary Lewis & the Playboys also included it on Billboard 200-charting albums.

Pete Fountain, Jan & Dean and Merle Haggard are among the artists who covered “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” in the wake of Cannon’s revival of the evergreen. Harry Connick Jr. performed the song on A Concert for Hurricane Relief, a fundraiser that aired on NBC in September 2005.

Author Stephen King wrote, “On a Webcor turntable growing up I played my 45s by Elvis, Chuck Berry and Freddy Cannon.” King mentioned Cannon’s music in four of his books.

Cannon was reportedly working on music at his home in Oxnard, Calif., right up to his death.

Cannon is survived by his children, Conny and Billy; his sister, Mary Lou; his son-in-law, Jim, and daughter-in-law, Beth; five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Cannon is pre-deceased by his wife (and high school sweetheart) Jeanette, who died on Sept. 25, 2024, and son, John, who died on April 13, 2026.

Daughter Conny Weber said “We would like to thank everyone for their love and support throughout our dad’s life. He will be remembered as a rock and roll icon. His music will live forever in our hearts.”