Don Covay

Genres:	R&B / Soul
Descriptive "tags":	soul • rhythm and blues • southern soul • funk • deep soul
Decades Active:	1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	Biography • IMDb • Wikipedia

Biography

Donald Randolph, 24 March 1938, Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA. Covay resettled in Washington during the early 50s and initially sang in the Cherry Keys, his family’s gospel quartet. He crossed over to secular music with the Rainbows, a formative vocal group that also included Marvin Gaye and Billy Stewart. Covay’s solo career began in 1957 as part of the Little Richard revue. The most tangible result of this liaison was a single, ‘Bip Bop Bip’, on which Covay was billed as ‘Pretty Boy’. Released on Atlantic Records, it was produced by Richard and featured the weight of his backing band, the Upsetters. Over the next few years Covay drifted from label to label. His original version of ‘Pony Time’ (credited to the Goodtimers) lost out to Chubby Checker’s cover version, but a further dance-orientated offering, ‘The Popeye Waddle’, was a hit in 1962. Covay, meanwhile, honed his songwriting skills and formed...

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