FEATURE ARTIST - Bobby Day (born Robert Byrd)

One of the earliest songs I can remember practicing my dance (Chicken, Bop) moves to is "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day. What a great song! It was 1958, I was 11 years old, and my mom's dining room chair was just the right height to stand in for a dancing partner. Then later, in 1963, Bobby recorded "Over and Over" (which was covered - less impressively in my opinion) by the Dave Clark Five in 1965. In fact, Bobby (sometimes under different names) was in or connected to a number of West Coast doo-wop / soul starting right back in the early '50s. There's The Four Flames, The Laurels, Bobby Day and The Satellites, The Hollywood Flames. And calling himself Jackie Lee, Bobby recorded "The Duck" (a dance craze number) in 1965. There were so many more, including "Truly Truly," "Buzz Buzz Buzz," "Don't Ever Leave Me," the list goes on. My particular fave is the number he did with Earl Nelson, as Bob & Earl - "Harlem Shuffle." That is one very fine song indeed! Sadly, Bobby is no longer with us; he passed in 1990. But it's no cliche that his music still lives on. Go bird go!