Johnny Daye

Johnny Daye may have been the best blue-eyed soul singer of the '60s. He had an electrifying stage act that wasn't fake or contrived. Daye would slide, dip, and bop on stage like a fair-complected James Brown. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Daye's recording career was brief. Johnny Nash signed him to Jomada Records where he waxed "Marry Me"/"Give Me Back My Ring" in 1965; he cut "A Lot of Progress"/"You're on Top" for Parkway-Cameo Records in 1966, and had a release on Blue Star Records titled "I'll Keep on Loving You." The late Otis Redding brought Daye to Stax Records, where he cut two singles produced by Booker T & the MG's guitarist Steve Cropper. The first single, "What I'll Do for Satisfaction"/"I Need Somebody," like other Daye releases, failed to chart. Janet Jackson cut a version of "What I'll Do for Satisfaction" on her mega 27-track Janet CD in 1993. The second, "Stay Baby Stay," is an aching, deep-fried soul ballad that Stax neglected. Mysteriously, the Stax sides are Daye's last known recordings -- he never cut an LP, and seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth. ~ Andrew Hamilton