José Jiménez

José Jiménez was not the only fictitious character that reached the top 40. There was The Archies, Ernie, Max Frost & The Troopers. And don’t forget Milli Vanilli. Ha. But they all came later.

José was comedian Bill Dana. He (either way you want to read him) was a one hit wonder, though he was a popular TV comedian for a while.

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José Jiménez:

• The Astronaut – A comedy shtick, not very funny by today’s standards. I don’t know funny it was back in the fall of 1961, when it reached #21 on Billboard. This was later in the year when Alan Shephard became the first American in space, but before John Glenn's historic flight. It is politically incorrect, but Dana actually acknowledged that in 1970, when he retired the character amid much fanfare.