From there, he came up with the idea of the Chipmunks, three happy-go-lucky singing rodents. Taking the name David Seville, Bagdasarian released the novelty single “The Witch Doctor,” which ...

That fall, he released "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," which marked the debut ... 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, the only Chipmunks song to do so, and stayed there for four weeks.