Guy Chookoorian, Toore’ Patz Dikran/Erevanen Goukai
Name/Title
Guy Chookoorian, Toore’ Patz Dikran/Erevanen GoukaiDescription
Gaizag “Guy” Chookoorian was born in November 15, 1923, Kenosha, WI and was a celebrated Armenian-American musician, singer, comedian, and actor. A World War II veteran, he served in the 331st Bomb Squadron of the 94th Bomb Group, flying 32 missions over Europe. The son of Armenian Genocide survivors from Yerzinga (Erzincan), he co-founded the Armenian-American Theater Group in Fresno, CA, in the mid-1940s. Throughout his Hollywood career, he actively promoted Armenian culture, helping preserve the folk songs of his father’s heritage. Guy's contributions to Armenian-American culture and his community spanned many decades. He passed away in January 31, 2021 in Granada Hills, CA. Chookoorian’s songs were infused with humor and cultural references, often featuring Armenian translations of popular lyrics and playful inside jokes. One of his most memorable acts was a parody of the rhythm and blues jukebox hit Open the Door, Richard—a song so popular in early 1947 that five different versions by various artists charted simultaneously. Chookoorian transformed the catchy refrain into Toore Patz, Dikran (“Open the Door, Dikran”) and reimagined the spoken monologue entirely in Armenian, complete with references to a barahantes (community dance), a nosy Armenian neighbor, and a surprise ending unique to his version—all delivered in rapid-fire, slightly dialectal Armenian full of slang. When someone told Chookoorian that they would buy the record if it ever existed, he decided to make it happen. He consulted the Andonian Sisters, a popular Russian-Armenian musical act who regularly recorded music, and asked how many records they typically sold. Hearing that their usual sales were around 200 copies, Chookoorian wasn’t impressed—but realizing he could at least break even, he decided to take the risk. In 1947, he recorded Toore Patz, Dikran with the famed Gold Star Record studio and pressed 500 copies. At an Armenian Fourth of July celebration, Chookoorian performed the song live and was astonished to sell a few hundred copies that same weekend. Soon, orders started pouring in from cities like Detroit and Chicago. Record dealers in New York, Rhode Island, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Fresno, and Los Angeles were all requesting large shipments. In total, Chookoorian sold at least 3,000 copies—a remarkable feat for an Armenian-language record at the time. Bootleg copies even made their way to Beirut. The flip side of the record featured his sister, Sue Chookoorian, singing Erevanen Goukai (“I Came from Yerevan”). The success of Toore Patz, Dikran launched a string of novelty songs in which Chookoorian cleverly riffed on popular American tunes heard on the radio and television.Audio Format
78 RPM RecordRecording Type
MusicCategory
Vinyl Record