I'm gonna go on record and say that Johnny Daye is the greatest of all white soul singers. Pittsburgh native Johnny cut a few records that went nowhere beginning in 1965; during this time, he met and became friends with Otis Redding, who took young Johnny under his wing as a protege of sorts and brought him to Stax records.
Paired up with Steve Cropper (another incredibly soulful white fellow and one of my biggest personal guitar heroes), this record is pure magic and stands up to the repertoire of his mentor. Too bad more people didn't get to hear the record, full of gritty, gutbucket vocals, guitar licks that are dripping with grease and of course the laid back but slamming Stax rhythm section.
Sadly, Johnny dropped out of the music biz shortly after this record was cut; perhaps it was no coincidence that it was also around the time of the tragic death of his mentor.
from 1968...
WHAT'LL I DO FOR SATISFACTION
I NEED SOMEBODY
7 comments:
Excellent. Both sides are amazing. Thank you!
I have to agree with Jem - both sides are truly amazing and only 1 side is on the Stax box. Which means I had to go to Gemm Music in search of an original. I paid around $30 but for such a great record, it is well worth the money. Thanks for posting.
Amazing record! I am glad I didn't pass on giving it a listen.
Derek - you continue to educate and entertain me. I'd never heard of Johnny Daye until this post and now I can't stop listening to "Stay baby stay" - what a voice! Thanks mate.
He's really good, but is he better than Eddie Hinton?
Derek, I really LOVE "What'll I Do," and have for years... but, until now, I only knew it in another context. Janet Jackson recorded it for her 1994 album janet. You can listen to it here; she stays fairly true to the original but she adds a nice quote from the Rolling Stones at the end.
Anyway, thanks so much for this--I first heard of you through your interview on The Watt from Pedro, and I've been leading friends to your site ever since.
Johnny Daye was managed by Joe Rock (Skyliners' manager) who co-wrote with Otis. Johnny and my group worked Pittsburgh record hops together in the mid-60s. A couple years ago Robert Peckman (Skyliners on Jubilee, Mike and Ike, Pure Gold, etc.) got him to sing on Pecky's "Stirrin' Up Bees" CD. Johnny's best single is the one on Blue Star, but I like his Parkway singles too.
Ed Salamon
Nashville, TN
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