Charles Wayne Day
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2010) |
Chuck Day | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Charles Wayne Day |
| Also known as | Chuck Day, Bing Day |
| Born | August 5, 1942 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 10, 2008 (aged 65) Healdsburg, California, United States |
| Genres | Soul-blues, Rhythm and blues |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals, bass guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1957–2007 |
Charles Wayne Day (August 5, 1942 – March 10, 2008), also known as Bing Day and Chuck Day, was an American guitarist and baritone bluesman from South Side Chicago.
Biography
His musical talents began to develop at age 3, and at age 15, he recorded the single "Pony Tail Partner" under the name Bing Day at Federal Records (1957). Day recorded several singles over the next ten years as 'Bing Day' and, also, 'Ford Hopkins'.
He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1965 and began a career as one of the most listened to "unknown" artists in rock and roll. He became bassist with Johnny Rivers' Band.[1] Day originated the riff in "Secret Agent Man".[2][3][4][5]
Day worked with The Mamas & the Papas in 1967, again as bassist, playing as second guitarist on "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'".[4]
During the 1970s and 1980s, Day played on numerous recordings including Shel Silverstein's Freaker's Ball. He also wrote for the soundtrack of Fritz the Cat and performed with musicians Luther Tucker and Merl Saunders.
Day formed his own band in 1986.
Day resided in Fairfax, California from 1969, and continued to play locally in the San Rafael area of California until he was taken ill in January 2007. After three months of care at Marin General Hospital, he was admitted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital before being relocated to District Hospital in Healdsburg, where he remained until his death on March 10, 2008.
A memorial and parade was held in Fairfax for Day on March 22, 2008.[4]
Discography
Solo releases
- "Pony Tail Partner" / "Since You Left Me" - Federal Records (1957) as Bing Day[7][8]
- "Rain Silver Dollar" / "Dancing Puppet" - Fraternity Records (1958) as Bing Day [8]
- "Poor Stagger Lee" - Mercury Records (1958)
- "I Can't Help It" / "Mama's Place" - Mercury Records (1959) as Bing Day[9][10][8]
- "Mary's Place" / "How Do I Do It" - Mercury Records (1959) as Bing Day [8]
- "Ya Fine, Fine, Fine" - Apex Records (1959) as Ford Hopkins
- "How Do I Do It" - Mercury Records (1960)
- "She Was Not My Kind" - Apex Records (1961)
- "Memphis Tennessee" - Cameo/Parkway Records (1966)
- "We Gotta Get Outta this Place" - Fraternity Records (1967)
With Johnny Rivers (1965)
- "Here We GoGo Again"
- "Rivers Rocks the Folk"
With The Mamas & the Papas (1968)
- "Monday, Monday" - Second Guitar
- "California Dreamin'" - Second Guitar
With The Young Gyants (1968)
- "Tom Dooley" / "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" - Parkway
- "Memphis" / "It Hurts So Bad" - Cameo-Parkway (1964)
With Shel Silverstein (1971)
The Chuck Day Band (1997)
- Desperate Measures
With Steve Wolf (2006)
- 20th Century Wolf, Volume I
- Day co-wrote "You Don't Love Me Anymore" with Steve Wolf and Annie McIntyre; played lead guitar on the 2006 recording of the song.
Soundtracks
- "House Rock"
- "Winston"
- "Full Track"
- "Black Girl"
- played the waterphone
Television and video
- Sleazy Arms Hotel with Jim Gabbert (1998)
- Pacifica Public Access (1998)
- Zone Music Local Showcase (1998)
- Boney Maroni Promotional - Lifesigns Photo (2000)
- various Lifesigns Photo video (2000 to present)
- numerous commercial voice-overs including "Fall into the Gap" and "Member FDIC"
Other projects
- Chuck Day and the Burning Sensations
- Fairfax Tavernacle Choir
- The Dori Green/Dave Bergman Show
- The 19 Broadway Swing Band
- The Chuck and Sam Duet
References
- ^ Jones, Mickey (21 September 2007). That Would Be Me: Rock & Roll Survivor to Hollywood Actor. AuthorHouse. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-4343-0834-4.
While working in Chicago, we found a great blues guitar player, Chuck Day. Chuck could play and sing just like Ray Charles. Chuck sounded more like Ray than Ray did. We talked Chuck into playing bass for us, something he was not used to, but he was more than willing to give it a try. He gave it a try, all right. Well, now we had the bluesiest bass player in town.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Pelkey, II, Stanley C.; Bushard, Anthony (11 December 2014). Anxiety Muted: American Film Music in a Suburban Age. Oxford University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-19-993615-1.
The electric guitar is prominent in this genre, evoking the danger and "electricity" of the spy lifestyle, as in the "Peter Gunn Theme" and especially the "James Bond Theme." Composed by Monty Norman and arranged by Barry, the Bond theme features reverb and staccato picking by Vic Flick, whose riff appears in every Bond film and came to define the lifestyle ethos of the spy. The riff most likely had an influence on the one played by Chuck Day in Johnny Rivers's "Secret Agent Man," the theme for "Secret Agent's" broadcast in the mid-1960s.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Meyer, Guy (20 December 2003). "Chuck Day Talk re: Johnny Rivers Band Mamas and Papas". YouTube (Interview). 19 Broadway Niteclub, Fairfax, California. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
Section starts at 02:22. Meyer: One more time, what about "Secret Agent Man"? How did that come about? Day: It was a TV series in Great Britain; it was called "Danger Man". And we were playing a place in London called The Talk of the Town. The producer of the series came and asked Johnny if we would perform the song that was written already by PF Sloan and somebody else. I forget who. So we recorded it. Just straight. And then, subsequently, the TV series was bought in the United States as "Secret Agent Man". So it became "Secret Agent Man" and he asked me to come up with the intro, which was kinda like "Goldfinger" and James Bond, because of secret agents being so popular in the United States. You know, James Bond. So I just came up with that lick. That's all. That's the whole story. I invented the guitar intro; that's all. Meyer: They wanted a, uh... Day: <<unintelligible through the background noise>> Meyer: So, you wrote the intro; that famous lick. Day: Yeah. That I did; I cop to that. Meyer: Johnny wrote those classic lyrics? Day: Johnny wrote nothin'. The song was written by two LA guys.
{{cite interview}}: line feed character in|quote=at position 25 (help)CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ a b c Liberatore, Paul (11 March 2008). "Fairfax rocker Chuck Day, the 'soul of the music scene,' dies at 65". Marin Independent-Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
Mr. Day is credited with creating the distinctive guitar riff on Rivers' 1966 hit "Secret Agent Man," earning him the distinction of being one of the most listened-to unknown musicians in rock.
- ^ Guy Meyer (10 July 2005). "Chuck Day -- Georgia On My Mind" (Video). YouTube. San Anselmo, California. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
People said I co-wrote this song; I did not. If anyone ever tells you that, it's a lie. I just wrote the guitar lick, for which I got union scale.
- ^ Bush, Tim. "Chuck Day and the Burning Sensations Discography". TumbleWeed Pacific. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ Day, Bing (1957). "Bing Day: Pony Tail Partner". YouTube. Federal Records. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d Gordon, Terry E. (18 December 2003). "Rockin' Country Style: Day, Bing". Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ Day, Bing. "Bing Day: I Can't Help It". YouTube. Mercury Records. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ^ Day, Bing. "Bing Day: Mama's Place". YouTube. Mercury Records. Retrieved 4 February 2015.