Tequila Man!

Danny Flores, 77, ‘Tequila!’ Saxophonist Danny Flores, who played the saxophone and shouted “Tequila!” on the hit song of the same name, died here on Tuesday. He was 77. His death was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Huntington Beach Hospital, Kathleen Curran. Mr. Flores was born in Santa Paula, grew up in Long Beach and lived in Westminster at the time of his death. By 5 he was playing guitar in church, and at 14 he was a member of a trio that performed Mexican music. In 1957, he was in a group that recorded some work with the rockabilly singer Dave Burgess. One of the songs was based on a nameless riff Mr. Flores had written. He played the earthy saxophone part and repeatedly shouted the single-word lyric: “Tequila!” The next year it appeared as the B-side of a single, credited to the Champs. Mr. Flores used the name Chuck Rio because he was under contract to a different record label. “Tequila!” reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and won a Grammy for best rhythm and blues performance in 1959. Mr. Flores continued to play it for the next 40 years. “I can honestly tell you he never got tired of playing that song,” said his wife, Sharee. In addition to his wife, Mr. Flores is survived by seven children from previous marriages and 15 grandchildren.