In 1957, the legendary Gene Autry employed Dave Burres as an artist and head of A&R, looking to produce a hit record in the new genre of rock and roll. Burres's releases were unsuccessful. On December 23, 1957 Burres assembled a group in Hollywood to record an instrumental, "Train to Nowhere." The group assembled to record the song were essentially session musicians, including The Flores Trio (Danny Flores, Gene Alden, and Buddy Bruce). When they were finished with "Train to Nowhere," they needed a "B" side and Flores offered "Tequila." After three takes in which Flores shouted "Tequila" at the appropriate breaks, the session was finished. The group needed a name for the record and they were assigned "The Champs" -- a nod to Autry's famous horse, Champion. "Train to Nowhere" was released in January and got little attention. Then, some disc jockeys started playing the "B" side. Another version on ABC-Paramount records by Eddie Platt was also released, but it stalled at #20. On March 17, The Champs version hit #1. The group that actually recorded the song never toured together and there would be many changes, with Glen Campbell, Jim Seals, and Dash Crofts (Seals & Crofts) eventually performing as The Champs. In 1959, "Tequila" became the first record awarded a Grammy as "Best R&B Performance."