Sonny Dave Daye & The Muffins on Ring-O

Sonny Dave Daye & The Muffins

OM 13889 - Merry-Go-Round
(Daye-Phillips, Febe Music)

O-M 13890 - I Can't Keep Score
(Phillips, Febe Music)

Ring-O Records # 305
Suite 807
1697 Broadway N.Y.

Arranged by A. Oliver

The following biography is borrowed from Carl and Nancy Janusek (CD Rock’n’Roll Fee Bee, Flyright CD 55, liner notes) :

Whether he recorded as Dave Day, Davey Day or Dave « Diddlie » Day (birth name Dave Fatalsky), this Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area recording artist was a multi-talented performer. An excellent guitarist with « varied musical tastes » he began singing Country and Western music while working at radio station WWVA (Wheeling, West Virginia) in 1946 as a member of a duet billed the Oklahoma Boys. His performing wasn’t limited to vocalizing ; Dave was also a stand-up comic and a ventriloquist. By 1955, Dave caught in the mushrooming Rock’n’Roll phenomena. His voice was remarkably similar to Bill Haley’s. Ironically, through an impromptu meeting with Haley and his manager, Dave Ferguson, Dave was added to Bill Haley’s Comets to emcee, play rhtyhm guitar and front the group on an upcoming tour.

In April 1956, Dave, along with The Red Coats (The Comets), cut two sides for the Kapp label… « Calpyso Rock » and Blue ». The record received very little air play and virtually went unnoticed. Joe Averbach, also the Kapp distributor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as operator of the Fee Bee label was approached by Dave with some original material that he and his partner Tony Ray had written. Shorthly thereafter, Dave inked a Fee Bee recording contract. His biggest hit on Fee Bee was « Blue Moon Baby » - a rocker with an oriental touch – was released in the spring of 1957 and shortly leased to Mercury. One other side of Dave Day’s « varied musical tastes » was that he also recorded polka music. His most popular ethnic recording was « South Side Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania » released on Epic in 1965.

Note : I'm not quite sure that the Wheeling artist is the same artist.

Discography

56 - Kapp 163 - Dave Day & The Red Coats
Calypso Rock
Blue
also on Casablanca 5533 (1959)

57 - Fee Bee 212 - Dave Diddlie Day
Blue Moon Baby
Suzanne My Love (as by Dave Day)
also on Mercury 71114 (1957)

57 - Fee Bee 215 - Dave Day
Jelly Billy
Deep In My Heart

58 - Checker 886 - Sonny Day And The Versatiles
Half moon
Speedillac (Versatiles only)

58 - Star 226 - Sonny Day & The Tony Ray Trio
Creature From Outer Space
Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt

58 - ABC 9950 - Sonny Day & The Tony Ray Orchestra
Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt
Jalousie

63 - Mala 461 - Sonny Day see note
'37 Men'
No Letter Today

65 - Ring-O 305 - Sonny Dave Daye & The Muffins
I Can't Keep Score
Merry-Go-Round

65 - Fort Couch 5881 - Davey Daye
Motor-Cycle Mike
Morra

65 - Dana 2149 - Sonny Daye
Holubky
Skinny Minnie
also on St.Clair 104

65 - Dana ? - Davey Daye
South Side Pittsburgh Pa
Little Polish
also on Epic 9838

66 - Jubilee 5543 - Sonny Day & Rare Breed
Tarzan
Mushrooms And Moonbeams (instr)


note (Mala 461)
"Proceeds from the sale of Mala single will go to the families of the Robena mine victims. The song was inspired by the fate of the 37 coal miners who were killed in a mine cave-in at the Robena plant of US Steel last December" (Billboard, April 6, 1963)

Was he the Dave Day who replaced Morty Nevins with the original Three Suns? ((Billboard July 18, 1964)

Was he the Dave Day backed by the Daydreamers on stage at the Lamplite Lounge in Fayette City? (Pittsburgh Tribune, 1965)



The following artists by the same name (or somewhat similar names) are not him :

Little Sunny Day & The Clouds on Tandem

Sunny Daye on Gift

Sonny Day on Power ( aka Frank Wilson)

Sonny Daye on Renegade

Sonny Day and his Radio Raskals

Sonny Day & The Sundowners (Australia)

Sonny Daye (aka Thomas Hawkins)

Sonny Daye & The Shyndel’s Band on Ru-Jac

Sonny Day on Emperor


Any corrections or comment(s) welcome! (indeed)





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