Don Covay

Don Covay (actually Donald Randolph ; born March 24, 1936 in Orangeburg , South Carolina ; † January 31, 2015 in Valley Stream , New York ) was a versatile American interpreter ( rhythm and blues , rock 'n' roll and soul ) and composer who significantly influenced these styles of music in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1956, he joined the doo-wop group Rainbows, which also included Marvin Gaye and Billy Stewart . In June 1956, Shirley was released by this formation in New York , but shortly after July 5, 1956, the recording date of They Say / Minnie for George Goldner's Rama label (Rama 209, released September 1956), the split Group. Don Covay then joined the Little Richard Revue as a driver in 1957.

Own plates

Goodtimers - Pony Time

Covay's employer, Little Richard , helped him in September 1957 under the pseudonym "Pretty Boy" to the single Bip Bop Bip / Paper Dollar (Atlantic 1147). Richard's band The Upsetters accompany the baritone Covay. That was not a hit either, and Covay began an unusual label hopping to 16 labels (!) Until 1965, when he returned to Atlantic Records with his accompanying group "The Goodtimers" and stayed there until 1970. This makes a discography difficult, but the most distinctive records should be mentioned. In January 1961 Covay participated with the Goodtimers in the US dance wave, which after the twist produced at least one more dance a year. Pony Time was the title song for the dance of the same name, which other performers sang about; with the song Covay first entered the charts (US pop # 60). A better ranking of this was prevented by the twist king Chubby Checker , whose cover version was released in the same month and made it # 1 Pop. For this Checker received his second gold record. Two years later, by now on the label of the twist king Chubby Checker, Covay wrote another dance song with The Popeye Waddle (Cameo 239), in December 1962 a # 75 Pop. His debut single Mercy, Mercy on the small Rosemart label in September 1964, incidentally with a still unknown Jimi Hendrix (as "Jimmy James") on guitar, with # 35 Pop, the best placement for the time being.

Compositions for other performers

Don Covay - Take This Hurt Off Me

Covay's real strength was composing for other performers after Chubby Checker had successfully covered his Pony Time . In terms of content, these songs reached an artistic level that caught the attention of other performers and made cover versions possible. Covay was therefore taken under contract by the music publisher Roosevelt Music in the Brill Building in New York in 1962, where Otis Blackwell , Charles Singleton and Rosemary McCoy were already employed as authors. From publisher Jesse Stone , Covay learned to compose a “happy blues” that radio stations could broadcast. These include There's a Party Goin 'On for Wanda Jackson (title track of the LP of the same name; January 1961), Letter Full of Tears for Gladys Knight & the Pips (December 1961, # 3 R&B), Mr. Twister for Connie Francis (LP Do the Twist , April 1962), I'm Hanging Up My Heart for You (June 1962, # 15 R&B) and You're Good for Me (November 1963, # 49) for Solomon Burke , You Can Run (But You Can't Hide) for Jerry Butler (# 23 R&B, October 1962), and I'm Gonna Cry was Wilson Pickett's debut single for Atlantic (recorded May 12, 1964, Atlantic 2233). Tommy Tucker took over Long Tall Shorty in May 1964 , shortly afterwards taken over by the British Kinks (LP Kinks , September 1964). He himself recorded Take This Hurt off Me (Rosemart 802, December 1964); the British bands Spencer Davis Group (LP Autumn '66 , September 1966) and Small Faces (LP From the Beginning , June 1967) brought out interesting covers. The Rolling Stones delivered with their version of Mercy, Mercy an authentic tribute to the work Covays (LP Out of Our Heads , Sept. 1965). Please Do Something (recorded January 27, 1965) was originally released by Don Covay in June 1965, but only reached a # 21 R&B. The song was picked up again by the strongly R&B-oriented Spencer Davis Group for their LP The Second Album (January 1966). In May 1965 Solomon Burke was again honored with Tonight's The Night (# 28 Pop). In 1965 Little Richard covered the completely undervalued soul ballad I Don't Know What You've Got but It's Got Me (November 1965, # 12 R&B) with guitar work by Jimi Hendrix (as a member of Richard's Upsetters). Covay's earliest composition was Chain of Fools from 1953, which became the most successful cover version for Covay thanks to soul diva Aretha Franklin (December 1967, R&B # 1, Pop # 2). The song is about a woman who realizes that she is just one of many friends of her lover. Franklin also took on See Saw , composed by Covay with Steve Cropper, in whose version the song achieved a # 9 R&B and a # 14 Pop in November 1968. Here the ups and downs of love are humorously compared with a seahorse. Covay himself had recorded the piece on June 30, 1965 in the Stax Studios (with the Mar-Keys and Booker T. & MG's; Sookie Sookie was also composed on this day ). Soul performers such as Etta James (the rhythmic soul watch dog and the soul ballad I'm Gonna Take What He's Got , LP Tell Mama , August 1968) and Otis Redding ( Think About It on the LP The Immortal Otis Redding , June 1968 published after his death, and demonstration , November 1969) complete Don Covay's cover list. The rock group Steppenwolf brought out Sookie Sookie on their first LP Steppenwolf (January 1968) .

In the same year, Don Covay founded the supergroup "Soul Clan" with Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley , Ben E. King and Joe Tex for the Soul Meeting (July 1968, # 34 R&B) , rather by chance . When this project also failed, Covay tried a few albums, but they were also not well received. In July 1984 Peter Wolf (ex- J. Geils Band ) reached number 12 in the US charts with the title Lights Out, written by Covbis - after all, his highest ranking as a soloist. The best recognition for his work came in September 1993 with the album Celebrating the Music of Don Covay , a compilation that also included the Bobby Womack version of I Was Checking Out .

347 compositions for Don Covay are copyright registered with BMI , 6 of which have received a BMI Music Award. In 1994 he received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award for his services .

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
		UK	US	R&B
1973	Super Dude I Mercury 653	-	-	R&B45 (5 weeks) R&B	First published: July 1973 Producer: Don Covay

More studio albums

• 1965: Mercy! (with The Goodtimers; Atlantic 8104)
• 1966: See-Saw (Atlantic 8120)
• 1969: The House of Blue Lights (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band; Atlantic 8237)
• 1972: Different Strokes for Different Folks (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band; Janus 3038)
• 1974: Hot Blood (Mercury 1020)
• 1976: Travelin 'in Heavy Traffic ( Philadelphia I. 33958)
• 1977: Funky Yo-Yo (Versatile 1123)
• 1985: Sweet Thang ( Reissue of Different Strokes for Different Folks ; Topline 137)
• 2000: Adlib (Don Covay & Friends; Cannonball 29116)

Compilations

• 1984: Mercy! (with The Goodtimers; Edsel 127)
• 1988: Checkin 'In with Don Covay (Mercury 836030)
• 1994: Mercy Mercy: The Definitive Don Covay ( Razor & Tie 2053)
• 2000: Mercy / See-Saw ( Koch 8186)
• 2007: The Platinum Collection ( Warner Platinum 8122-79994-8)
• 2009: Super Bad (The Great American Music Company 902)

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
		UK	US	R&B
1961	Pony time	-	US60 (9 weeks) US	-	First published: January 1961 with The Goodtimers Authors: Chuck Berry , Don Covay
1962	The Popeye Waddle	-	US75 (7 weeks) US	-	First published: December 1962 Authors: Dave Leon, Jon Sheldon
1964	Mercy, Mercy Mercy!	-	US35 (10 weeks) US	R&B1 (15 weeks) R&B	First published: August 1964 with The Goodtimers; Guitar: Jimi Hendrix Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Authors: Don Covay, Horace Ott
	Take This Hurt off Me Mercy!	-	US97 (2 weeks) US	R&B44 (4 weeks) R&B	First published: November 1964 Authors: Don Covay, Ronald Miller
1965	Please Do Something See-Saw	-	-	R&B21 (9 weeks) R&B	First published: May 1965 with The Goodtimers Author: Ronnie Miller
	Seesaw See-Saw	-	US44 (9 weeks) US	R&B5 (15 weeks) R&B	First published: September 1965 with The Goodtimers Author: Steve Cropper
1967	Shingaling '67	-	-	R&B50 (2 weeks) R&B	First published: January 1967 Author: Don Covay
1970	Black woman	-	-	R&B43 (2 weeks) R&B	First published: September 1969 B-side of Ice Cream Man (The Gimme Game) with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band Authors: Don Covay, Spooner Oldham
1973	I Was Checkin 'Out She Was Checkin' In Super Dude I	-	US29 (10 weeks) US	R&B6 (13 weeks) R&B	First published: May 1973 Author: Don Covay
	Somebody's Been Enjoying My Home Super Dude I	-	-	R&B63 (11 weeks) R&B	First published: October 1973 Authors: Eva Darby, L. Scott
1974	It's Better to Have (And Don't Need) Hot Blood	UK29 (6 weeks) UK	US63 (6 weeks) US	R&B21 (14 weeks) R&B	First publication: April 1974 Authors: Don Covay, Erskin Watts
1975	Rumble in the Jungle Hot Blood	-	-	R&B83 (6 weeks) R&B	First published: January 1975 is about the boxing match of the same name. Authors: Don Covay, Erskin Watts
1980	Badd boy	-	-	R&B74 (6 weeks) R&B	First published: July 1980 Authors: Don Covay, A. Covay

More singles

• 1957: Bip Bop Bip (as Pretty Boy; released July)
• 1958: Rockin 'the Mule (Back in Kansas) Swingin' Like a Young Gray Mare (as Pretty Boy; released April)
• 1958: Believe It or Not (release: November)
• 1959: Standing in the Doorway (as Don "Pretty Boy" Covay; release: October)
• 1960: Beauty and the Beast (release: March)
• 1960: Hey There (released December)
• 1961: Shake Wid the Shake (with The Goodtimers; released March 20)
• 1961: Hand Jive Workout (with The Goodtimers; release: July)
• 1961: (Where Are You) Now That I Need You (with The Goodtimers; released September 25th)
• 1961: It's Twistin 'Time (with The Goodtimers; release: November)
• 1963: Wiggle wobble
• 1963: Ain't That Silly (released December)
• 1964: The Froog (released March)
• 1965: You're Good for Me
• 1965: The Boomerang (release March)
• 1966: Watching the Late Late Show (with The Goodtimers; release: February)
• 1966: Iron Out the Rough Spots (with The Goodtimers; release: June)
• 1966: Somebody's Got to Love You (with The Goodtimers; release: October)
• 1967: 40 Days - 40 Nights (with The Goodtimers; release: May)
• 1967: Never Had No Love (with The Goodtimers; release: September)
• 1968: Don't Let Go (with The Goodtimers; release: March)
• 1968: Gonna Send You Back to Your Mama (with The Goodtimers; release: May)
• 1968: I Stole Some Love (with The Goodtimers; release: October)
• 1969: Sweet Pea (Don't Love Nobody but Herself) (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band; release: March)
• 1969: Ice Cream Man (The Gimme Game) (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band; release: September)
• 1970: Everything I Do Goin 'Be Funky (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band; release: March)
• 1970: Sookie Sookie (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band; released July)
• 1971: Sweet Thang (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band)
• 1972: Daddy Please Don't Go Out Tonight (with The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band; released January)
• 1972: The Overtime Man (released July)
• 1974: Ooh My Soul (as Don Covay of the Rainbows)
• 1976: No Tell Motel (release: June)
• 1976: Travelin 'in Heavy Traffic (release: September)
• 1977: Back to the Roots

Web links

• Literature by and about Don Covay in the catalog of the German National Library
• Don Covay at Allmusic (English)
• Don Covay at Discogs (English)
• Don Covay & the Goodtimers at Discogs (English)
• Biography Don Covay
• Discography Don Covay
• Discography Don Covay

References and comments

1. ↑ Bruce Weber: Don Covay, Performer and Writer of R&B Hits, Dies at 78. Obituary in The New York Times, February 6, 2015 (accessed February 7, 2015).
2. ↑ However, it has not been established whether Gaye and Stewart participated in the recordings.
3. ↑ Jay Warner, American Singing Groups - A History from 1940 to Today , 2006, p. 283
4. ↑ Anthony J. Gribin and Matthew M ship, The Complete Book of doo-wop , 2000, p 433
5. ↑ Even if it was initially not noticed that Covay's work had clearly drawn on Clarence 'Pinetop' Smith's Pine Top's Boogie Woogie from December 29, 1928
6. ^ Peter Guralnik, Sweet Soul Music , 2002, p. 274
7. ↑ BMI entry Don Covay ( Memento of the original dated November 24, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: UK Billboard Hot 100
9. ^ Joel Whitburn : Top R&B Albums 1965–1998, ISBN 0-89820-134-9 .
10. ^ Joel Whitburn : Hot R&B Songs 1942–2010: 6th Edition, ISBN 978-0-89820-186-4 .