Ronny & the Daytonas

Last updated
Ronny & the Daytonas
Origin Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Genres Surf rock, rock and roll
Years active1964–1967, 1980’s-1995, 2000, 2002, 2015
LabelsShow Biz, Mala, RCA, Sundazed
Past membersPaul Jensen
Thomas Ramey
Lynn Williams
Lee Kraft
John Wilkin

Ronny & the Daytonas were an American surf rock group, whose members included John "Bucky" Wilkin (aka Ronny Dayton) (songwriting, guitar, vocals), Paul Jensen (vocals, guitar), Thomas Ramey (bass, guitar), Lynn Williams (drums), and Lee Kraft (guitar), with contributions from others such as Larry Butler (organ), Ronny Clark (studio guitarist), and Buzz Cason.

Contents

History

The group was formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1964 when Bill Justis (best known for his hit "Raunchy") became their manager and formed Buckhorn Music with the help of Wilkin's mother, Marijohn Wilkin, a country music writer. [1] Signed to Mala Records, a sublabel of Bell Records, their primary contribution to popular music was in injecting country-sounds into the burgeoning surfrock scene. Their 1964 debut single "G.T.O." reached No. 4 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. [2] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. [3] A subsequent single, "Bucket T" reached No. 54 on the Billboard chart that same year.

After an album and tour in 1964, Ronny & The Daytonas had another hit in 1965 with a ballad, "Sandy", and an album that reflected a similar country-inflected surfer sound. In 1966 Ronny and The Daytonas switched to RCA Records and released a romantic ballad called "Diane, Diane" and the upbeat "All American Girl", both of which had some success on the charts. The band toured for a short time after this before disbanding. [4]

In 1965, Buzz Cason and John "Bucky" Wilkin recorded the single "Bay City" / "Tiger A-Go-Go" as Buzz and Bucky. The single did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. [5]

The mid-1980s saw some interest in re-uniting various band members for a few engagements. The last known appearances of The Daytonas were at a concert in upstate New York on July 4, 1995, [4] at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan in 2000 and 2002, and at The Baby Boomer Legends concert at "The Factory" in Franklin, Tennessee on April 24, 2015.

As of 2004, Buck Wilkin Music publishing [6] was licensing Ronny & The Daytonas songs for the U.S. and Canada, and occasionally published their music on 180 gram vinyl media in limited production runs.

Discography

Singles

1964

1965

1966

1967

Albums

1964


1966

  1. "Sandy" (Buzz Cason, Wilkin) - 2:47
  2. "Hold Me My Baby" (Wilkin) - 2:44
  3. "Baby Say No" (Wilkin) - 2:34
  4. "When Stars Shine Bright" (Cason, Wilkin) - 2:44
  5. "Be Good to Your Baby" (Russell, Wilkin) - 3:06
  6. "If I Had My Way" (Russell, Bergen White) - 2:55
  7. "Then the Rains Came" (Wilkin) - 2:41
  8. "Nanci" (Wilkin) - 3:11
  9. "Somebody to Love Me" (Cason, Wilkin) - 2:31
  10. "Come Into My Heart" (Cason, Wilkin) - 3:18
  11. "I'll Think of Summer" (Cason, Wilkin) - 2:58
  12. "So in Love" (Cason, Wilkin) - 2:23

Related Research Articles

"Last Kiss" is a song written by Wayne Cochran and first recorded by Cochran in 1961 for the Gala label. Cochran's version failed to do well on the charts. Cochran re-recorded his song for the King label in 1963. It was revived by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, who took it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Wednesday, Pearl Jam, and several international artists also covered the song, with varying degrees of success.

<i>Daytime Friends</i> 1977 studio album by Kenny Rogers

Daytime Friends is the third studio album by American singer Kenny Rogers for United Artists Records, released in 1977. It was his second major success following the break-up of The First Edition in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marijohn Wilkin</span> American songwriter

Marijohn Wilkin was an American songwriter, famous in country music for writing a number of hits such as "One Day At a Time" and "The Long Black Veil". Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography Lord, Let Me Leave a Song. It was honored as “One of the 100 Most Important Books about Nashville’s Music Industry.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurting Each Other</span> 1971 single by Carpenters

"Hurting Each Other" is a song popularized by the Carpenters in 1972. It was written in 1965 by Gary Geld and Peter Udell, and has been recorded many times by artists ranging from Ruby & the Romantics to Rosemary Clooney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Hang On!</span> 1965 song performed by The Four Seasons

"Let's Hang On!" is a song composed by Bob Crewe, Sandy Linzer, and Denny Randell that was popularized by the Four Seasons in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evie Sands</span> American singer, songwriter and musician (born 1946)

Evie Sands is an American singer, songwriter and musician.

<i>Here Comes My Baby</i> (album) 1965 studio album by Dottie West

Here Comes My Baby is a studio album by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in June 1965 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. It was West's debut studio album as a recording artist and was issued following the success of the title track in 1964. The latter song won a Grammy Award in early 1965 which prompted the issue of the album. Here Comes My Baby would start a series of studio recordings West would release for RCA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We'll Sing in the Sunshine</span> 1964 single by Gale Garnett

"We'll Sing in the Sunshine" is a 1964 hit song written and recorded by Gale Garnett which reached No. 2 in Canada, and No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending 17 October 1964. It also enjoyed success on easy listening and country music radio stations, spending seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and No. 42 on the country chart. The Cash Box Top 100 ranked "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" at No. 1 for the week of 31 October 1964, and it also reached No. 1 in Garnett's native New Zealand that November. In Australia, "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" afforded Garnett a Top Ten hit with a No. 10 peak in October 1964. Garnett's sole Top 40 hit, "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" won the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeeter Davis discography</span>

The discography of American country artist Skeeter Davis contains 32 studio albums, 18 compilation albums, 59 singles, 53 lead singles, six collaborative singles, two other charted songs and two additional appearances. Davis was first one half of the duo, The Davis Sisters before embarking on a solo career with the RCA Victor label. Her second single was 1957's "Lost to a Geisha Girl", which reached the top 15 of the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was followed in 1959 by the top five country selection, "Set Him Free". The same year, Davis's debut studio album was issued on RCA Victor titled I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too. Her career momentum continued to build in 1960 with two top five back-to-back singles: "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" and "My Last Date ". Both selections also climbed into the Billboard Hot 100 top 40. They were featured on Davis's second studio album called Here's the Answer. Between 1961 and 1962, Davis had top ten Billboard country singles with "Optimistic" and "Where I Ought to Be".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Angels (song)</span> 1995 single by Martina McBride

"Wild Angels" is a song written by Matraca Berg, Gary Harrison and Harry Stinson and recorded by American country music artist Martina McBride. It was released in November 1995 as the second single and title track from McBride's album of the same name. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, giving McBride her first number one single on that chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Astronauts (band)</span> American surf music band

For the UK band, see Astronauts (band)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dottie West singles discography</span>

The singles discography of American country artist Dottie West contains 59 singles released as a solo artist, 12 singles released as a collaborative artist, 3 promotional singles and 1 other charting song. West signed with RCA Victor Records in 1963, having her first Top 40 hit the same year. It was followed in 1964 by "Love Is No Excuse", a duet with Jim Reeves that became West's first top 10 hit. In 1964, she also released "Here Comes My Baby". The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and became the first song by a female country artist to win a Grammy award. From her 1966 album, West issued four singles, including the top 10 hits "Would You Hold It Against Me" and "What's Come Over My Baby". Over the next two years she had major hits with "Paper Mansions", "Like a Fool", "Country Girl", and "Reno". In 1969, West collaborated with Don Gibson on "Rings of Gold", which reached number 2 on the Billboard country chart. In 1973, she released a single version of a commercial jingle originally used by The Coca-Cola Company. Entitled "Country Sunshine", the song became West's biggest hit, reaching number 2 on the country songs chart and number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also nominated her for her eleventh Grammy. After releasing the top 10 hit "Last Time I Saw Him" (1974), West's chart hits declined and she was dropped from RCA in 1976.

"G.T.O." is a song written by John Buck Wilkin and first recorded as the 1964 debut single of his band, Ronny & the Daytonas. It was also featured on their album of the same name. The single reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 26, 1964, and sold over one million copies, which resulted in it being awarded a gold disc. The song reached No. 7 in Canada. It was produced by Bill Justis. The song's lyrics extol the performance of the Pontiac GTO and express the singer's desire to purchase that particular car.

<i>G.T.O.</i> (album) 1964 studio album by Ronny & the Daytonas

G.T.O. is the debut studio album by American band Ronny & the Daytonas, and was released in 1964 on Mala Records, MALA 4001.

<i>The Girls Get Prettier</i> 1966 studio album by Hank Locklin

The Girls Get Prettier is a studio album by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in May 1966 via RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. It was Locklin's thirteenth studio recording in his music career and contained two singles, one of which became a top forty hit in 1966. The album consisted of 12 tracks and received mixed reviews from music publications.

"Dream Painter" is a song composed by Dallas Frazier and Sanger D. Shafer. It was originally recorded by American country music singer Connie Smith. The song was Smith's final single for RCA Victor Records, upon its release in 1973. The same year it was issued on among her final album releases for RCA.

"Bus Fare to Kentucky" is a song composed by Ronny Light and originally recorded by American country artist, Skeeter Davis. In 1971, it was released as a single via RCA Victor and reached the top 40 of the American and Canadian country music charts. It was released on Davis's 1971 studio album titled Skeeter

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Bare singles discography</span> Singles discography of American artist Bobby Bare

The singles discography of American country artist Bobby Bare contains 96 singles. Of these, 80 are singles released as a lead artist, eight as a collaborative artist, three as a featured artist and five were released solely to Germany. Bare's first single to chart was 1958's "The All-American Boy", which reached number two on the American Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the Australian Kent pop chart. Bare's singles would not receive more commercial success until he signed with RCA Victor. In 1962, his single "Shame on Me" charted on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs charts. The following year, Bare's pair of singles reached major chart positions on the Billboard Hot 100 and Country Songs charts: "Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home". Both singles were his first to chart in the top ten of the country chart. RCA followed it in 1964 with the top ten singles "Miller's Cave" and "Four Strong Winds".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Buck Wilkin</span> American singer-songwriter and session musician

John William "Buck" Wilkin was an American singer-songwriter and session musician. Wilkin started his career as a child on the Ozark Jubilee television program with Brenda Lee. His mother, songwriter Marijohn Wilkin, later moved the family to Nashville, Tennessee, where she started the publishing company Buckhorn Music. Wilkin and Buckhorn Music had a hit in 1964 with his original composition "GTO", which he recorded as a member of Ronny & the Daytonas and was frequently covered by groups such as The Beach Boys and The Hondells.

"Before the Ring on Your Finger Turns Green" is a song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and recorded by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in November 1965 as the first single from the album Suffer Time. The song became a top 40 chart single on the US country music chart.

References

  1. ↑ Archived July 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "The Hot 100 : Sep 12, 1964 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. 1964-09-12. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  3. ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.  182. ISBN   0-214-20512-6.
  4. 1 2 Archived July 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Top Pop Singles 1955-2012 (14th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 722. ISBN   978-0-89820-205-2.
  6. ↑ Archived May 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book Billboard/Cash Box/Record World 1954-1982. Sheridan Books. p. 432. ISBN   978-0-89820-213-7.
  8. ↑ "RPM Top 40-5s - September 28, 1964" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "RPM Top 40&5 - December 7, 1964" (PDF).
  10. ↑ "RPM Top 40&5 - February 1, 1965" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "RPM Top 100 - October 10, 1966" (PDF).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.