Freddy Cannon, the “Palisades Park” singer and rock and roller who was famous from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, died on July 17 after a battle with cancer. He was 89.
Cannon’s longtime friend, Tom Cuddy, confirmed the news with Deadline, noting his adult children were by his side in the days before his death, in a hospice care facility in Oxnard, California.
Born Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. in Lynn, Massachusetts, Cannon was nicknamed “Boom Boom” given his stage name and the explosiveness of his music. He released hits including “Tallahassee Lassie,” “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” and the upbeat “Palisades Park,” the latter a tribute to the now-defunct 38-acre amusement park in New Jersey that was famous for its saltwater pool, roller coaster and live shows.
The song, which incorporated amusement park sound effects, was released in 1962 and rose to the top of the charts.
The amusement park closed in 1971, but the song remained a classic. It was Cannon’s biggest hit and was subsequently covered by other bands including The Beach Boys and The Ramones.
Written by Chuck Barris, who later became a TV game show host and creator of “The Dating Game,” the lyrics describe someone taking a walk at night and discovering the excitement of the amusement park and its rides and falling in love with a girl.
Freddy Cannon was an ‘American Bandstand’ mainstay with Dick Clark
Cannon first made a name for himself in the Boston music scene before going on to release his first hit. The 1959 single “Tallahassee Lassie” had an early fan in Dick Clark, whose Swan Records later signed Cannon and released the Billboard top 10 single. The track was later covered by The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac.
Clark also had a hand in giving Cannon national exposure with a record number of appearances on “American Bandstand,” where the Four Seasons provided early backing instrumentation.
Cannon’s “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” was a rock cover version of the 1922 Broadway song and became a Billboard top 5 single. His other hits included “Action” and “Abigail Beecher.”
Though his chart success had waned by the mid 1960s, Cannon continued to find success touring, especially in the United Kingdom and for “American Bandstand” reunion concerts.