Montana native Chan Romero, who wrote ‘The Hippy Hippy Shake,’ has died [Video]

Robert Lee “Chan” Romero, a Billings native and rock ‘n’ roll singer best known for his original song “The Hippy Hippy Shake,” has died, according to a post on his official Facebook page.

The post was made over the weekend and did not list a cause or date of death. He was living in southern California.

Romero, 82, was born in Billings in 1941 and graduated from Billings Senior High School.

After high school, he hitchhiked to Los Angeles, where he wrote “The Hippy Hippy Shake” at the age of 17.

That led to his signing with Del Fi Records, the same label that had signed Latino superstar Richie Valens. His song was later covered by the Beatles and other big bands.

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