Don Covay
| Don Covay | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Donald James Randolph |
| Born |
March 24, 1936 Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | January 31, 2015 (aged 78) Franklin Square, New York, United States |
| Genres | R&B, rock and roll, soul, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | Red Robin, Pilgrim Records, Atlantic, Sue, Big Top, Arnold Records, Columbia, Cameo-Parkway, Rosemart Records, Mercury, Philadelphia International, Newman Records |
| Associated acts | The Rainbows, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix |
Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known as Don Covay, his stage name, was an American R&B, rock and roll and soul singer and songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s. His most successful recordings include "Mercy, Mercy" (1964), "See-Saw" (1965), and "It's Better to Have (and Don't Need)" (1974). He also wrote "Pony Time", a US number 1 hit for Chubby Checker, and "Chain of Fools", a Grammy-winning song for Aretha Franklin. He received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1994.
Writing in the Washington Post after his death, Terence McArdle said, "Mr. Covay’s career traversed nearly the entire spectrum of rhythm-and-blues music, from doo-wop to funk."
Donald Randolph was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. His father, a Baptist preacher, died when Don was eight. Covay resettled in Washington, D.C., in the early 1950s and initially sang in the Cherry Keys, his family's gospel quartet. He crossed over to secular music as a member of the Rainbows, a group which also occasionally included Marvin Gaye and Billy Stewart, and made his first recordings with that group in 1956.
Covay's solo career began in 1957 as part of the Little Richard Revue, when he worked both as the star's chauffeur and as an opening act. A single, "Bip Bop Bip", on which Covay was billed as "Pretty Boy", was released on Atlantic, produced by Little Richard and featuring his backing band, the Upsetters. Over the next few years Covay drifted from label to label, eventually signing with Columbia Records in 1961, but success remained elusive. Later that year, however, he had his first chart success, when "Pony Time", a song he co-wrote with fellow Rainbows member John Berry, reached No. 60 on the Billboard pop chart. It was issued by the small Arnold label and credited to his group, the Goodtimers. The song was later recorded by Chubby Checker and became a US No. 1 single.
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