Don Covay

Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-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."

Birth and Death Data: Born March 23, 1938 (Orangeburg), Died January 30, 2015 (Franklin Square)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1957 - 1967

Roles Represented in DAHR: arranger, vocalist, composer, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Role
Atlantic	2491	10-in.	March, 1957	Paper dollar	Pretty Boy	vocalist
Atlantic	2492	10-in.	March, 1957	Bip bop bip	Pretty Boy	vocalist
Decca	119521		10/25/1967	Try some of mine-1	Little Richard	arranger
Decca	119522		10/25/1967	She's together	Little Richard	arranger, composer, lyricist

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Covay, Don," accessed November 12, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/310028.

Covay, Don. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 12, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/310028.

"Covay, Don." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 12 November 2024.