One-hit wonder Danny Flores

It is a rare person indeed who is remembered for a single word appearing in a popular song. Such a man, however, was Danny Flores, a Latino saxophone player whose voice uttered the word Tequila in the 1957 instrumental hit of that same name. The record, which had a beat congenial to shag dancing, hit No.1 and won a Grammy.

Flores, who sometimes performed as Chuck Rio, was born in California to parents who had come there from Mexico. His early music was a blend of counry rock and Latino. When Tequila was recorded, Flores had been working a duo act, Danny and Dave, with fellow musician Dave Burgess. Their one big hit, recorded as The Champs, was backed by money from cowboy star and savvy investor Gene Autry.

The Champs eventually split up, and Flores put his lusty sax style to work with other groups. Tequila has been used in a variety of TV commercials and in the 1985 film Pee Wee's Big Adventure, which extended the song's reach to a new generation of listeners. Torres died in 2006 at age 77 from pneumonia.