Bobby Day
American singer and producer (1930–1990)
title: "Bobby Day" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1930-births", "1990-deaths", "african-american-male-songwriters", "american-rhythm-and-blues-singers", "american-rock-singers", "american-soul-singers", "songwriters-from-texas", "jamie-records-artists", "rca-victor-artists", "class-records-artists", "rock-and-roll-musicians", "sue-records-artists", "musicians-from-fort-worth,-texas", "burials-at-holy-cross-cemetery,-culver-city", "20th-century-african-american-male-singers", "20th-century-american-male-singers", "20th-century-american-singers", "deaths-from-prostate-cancer-in-california", "20th-century-american-songwriters"] description: "American singer and producer (1930–1990)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Day" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American singer and producer (1930–1990) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bobby Day |
| image | {{CSS image crop |
| bSize | 300 |
| cWidth | 234 |
| cHeight | 199 |
| Location | 'center' |
| caption | Day on the cover of "Rockin' Robin" |
| birth_name | Robert James Byrd |
| alias | The |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| genre | {{Flatlist |
| occupation | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| instrument | Vocals, piano, keyboards |
| years_active | 1950–1990 |
| past_member_of | The Hollywood Flames |
| Bob and Earl | |
| :: |
| name = Bobby Day | image = {{CSS image crop |Image = |bSize = 300 |cWidth = 234 |cHeight = 199 |Location = 'center' | caption = Day on the cover of "Rockin' Robin" | image_size = | image_upright = | birth_name = Robert James Byrd | alias = The | birth_date = | birth_place = Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | genre = {{Flatlist|
- Rock and roll
- R&B
- soul
- pop
- Doo-wop}} | occupation = Singer, songwriter, record producer | instrument = Vocals, piano, keyboards | years_active = 1950–1990 | label = | past_member_of = The Hollywood Flames Bob and Earl
Robert James Byrd (July 1, 1928 – 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).
Biography
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, Day moved to Los Angeles, California, at age 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. Day 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. Day's penned song, "Buzz-Buzz-Buzz" was that outfit's first and biggest success. In 1957, he formed his own band called the Satellites, following which Day 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,{{Cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 188 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/188 | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 100 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/100
In 2012–13, Day's 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 age 62, 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
::data[format=table]
| 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
References
- Association, Texas State Historical. "Bobby Day: Rhythm and Blues Pioneer and Hitmaker".
- (May 2006). "Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door". Omnibus Press.
- Staff. (July 30, 1990). "SINGER BOBBY DAY DIES OF CANCER AT AGE 60".
- Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1990 – 1991". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com.
- (1992). "[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Guinness Publishing]].
- "Bobby Day Biography".
- Chris Kenner. "Greatest Hits - The Dave Clark Five : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards".
- "Little Bitty Pretty One – Thurston Harris : Listen, Appearances, Song Review".
- Boyer, Edward J.. (July 30, 1990). "Bobby Day; Had No. 2 Hit With 'Robin'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
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