Bobby Day

Robert James Byrd (July 1, 1930 – July 27, 1990), known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record "Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas. Day also wrote the top-10 Billboard hits "Little Bitty Pretty One" (1957, Thurston Harris) and "Over and Over" (1965, the Dave Clark Five).

Bobby Day
Birth name	Robert James Byrd
Also known as	The
Born	(1930-07-01)July 1, 1930 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 27, 1990(1990-07-27) (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Rock and roll R&B soul pop *Doo-wop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active	1950–1990
Formerly of	The Hollywood Flames Bob and Earl

Biography

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, Day moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of 15. His first recording was "Young Girl" in 1949 in the R&B group the Hollywood Flames, released in 1950 on the Selective Label. He went several years with minor musical success limited to the West Coast. He recorded under numerous other names: The Jets, The Voices, The Sounds, The Crescendos, and as the original "Bob" in the duo Bob & Earl with singer Earl Nelson. As a member of the Flames, he used the stage name Bobby Day. His penned song, "Buzz Buzz Buzz" was that outfit's first and biggest success. In 1957, Day formed his own band called the Satellites, following which he recorded three songs that are seen today as rock and roll classics.

Day's best known songwriting efforts were "Over and Over", later made popular by the Dave Clark Five in 1965, and "Little Bitty Pretty One", popularized by Thurston Harris in 1957,Frankie Lymon in 1960, Clyde McPhatter in 1962, and the Jackson Five in 1972. However, Day is most remembered for his 1958 solo recording of the Hot 100 No. 2 hit, "Rockin' Robin", written by Leon Rene under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold record. "Rockin' Robin" was covered by Bob Luman at Town Hall Party on October 28, 1958, the Hollies in 1964, Gene Vincent in 1969, Michael Jackson in 1972, Lolly in 1999, and by McFly in 2006.

In 2012–2013, his uncharted recording, "Beep-Beep-Beep", was the musical soundtrack for a Kia Sorento television commercial shown nationwide in the US.

Day died of prostate cancer on July 27, 1990, at the age of 60, and is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Discography

Albums

• Rockin' with Robin (1959)
• The Best of Bobby Day (1984)
• The Original Rockin' Robin (1987)
• The Great Bobby Day (1994)
• Rockin' Robin (1994)
• The Best of Bobby Day (2001)
• The Very Best Of (2016)
• Robins, Bluebirds, Buzzards & Orioles - The Bobby Day Story (2021)

Singles

Year	Title	Credited as	Chart positions		Release date
			US	US R&B
1950	"Young Girl" / "Please Tell Me Now"	The Flames
1952	"Wheel of Fortune" / "Later"	The Four Flames
1957	"Buzz Buzz Buzz"	The Hollywood Flames	11	5	October 1957
1957	"Little Bitty Pretty One"	Bobby Day and the Satellites	57	—	August 1957
1958	"Rockin' Robin"	Bobby Day	2	1	June 27, 1958
	"Over and Over"	Bobby Day	41	1	June 27, 1958
	"The Bluebird, the Buzzard, and the Oriole"	Bobby Day	54	—	November 26, 1958
1959	"That's All I Want"	Bobby Day	98	—	February 1959
	"Gotta a New Girl"	Bobby Day	82	—	May 1959
1960	"Gee Whiz"	Bob and Earl	103	—

Television appearances

• The Dick Clark Show (two episodes) (1958)
• American Bandstand (four episodes) (1958)
• The Cinnamon Cinder Show (1963)
• The Midnight Special (1973)

References

1. Talevski, Nick (May 2006). Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door. London: Omnibus Press. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-1846090912.
2. Staff (July 30, 1990). "SINGER BOBBY DAY DIES OF CANCER AT AGE 60". Deseret.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
3. Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1990 – 1991". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
4. Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 648/9. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
5. "Bobby Day Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
6. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 188. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
7. Chris Kenner. "Greatest Hits - The Dave Clark Five : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
8. "Little Bitty Pretty One – Thurston Harris : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
9. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 100. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
10. Boyer, Edward J. (July 30, 1990). "Bobby Day; Had No. 2 Hit With 'Robin'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2013.

External links

• Bobby Day discography at Discogs
• Bobby Day at AllMusic