David Seville, born Rostom Sipan Bagdasarian, was an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known primarily for his novelty records. He was the creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks, a fictional band that featured high-pitched, speeded-up voices, a technique that became Seville's signature sound. Bagdasarian's most influential work was arguably "Witch Doctor" in 1958, which pioneered this distinctive sound effect. Despite the novelty nature of his productions, Seville's work had a significant impact on the music industry, popularizing speed manipulation as a recording technique.