John Allan Seay, Jr. (July 15, 1940 – May 14, 2016) was an American country music singer, professionally known as Johnny Sea or Johnny Seay. His first hits came in the late 1950s, and his career saw a resurgence in the mid-1960s, particularly with the release of his spoken word single "Day For Decision".
Johnny Seay | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Allan Seay, Jr. |
| Also known as | Johnny Sea |
| Born | July 15, 1940 |
| Origin | Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | May 14, 2016 (aged 75) |
| Genres | Country, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1958-2016 |
| Labels | NRC, Capitol, Philips, Warner Bros., Columbia, Viking, Lost Gold, Bear Family, Cross and Grave Ranch Brand Records. |
| Website | johnnyseay.com |
Biography
editSeay was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Atlanta, and had his first major break in 1957 by winning a state talent show (whose runner-up was Bill Anderson).[1] As a result of this he was offered a recording contract as well as the opportunity to appear on Louisiana Hayride and The Grand Ole Opry. In 1959, he scored a hit on the country charts with "Frankie's Man Johnny", and had a second in 1960 with "Nobody's Darling but Mine".[2] Both his early hits were on NRC Records. After these hits he moved westward to become a cowboy.
In 1964 he began recording again and his songs, "My Baby Walks All Over Me" and "My Old Faded Rose", became country chart successes.[2] Signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1966, he released the song "Day For Decision" which featured a background chorus singing "America". The recording was a country success and also peaked at No. 35 on the US pop charts;[3] it was nominated for a Grammy award but lost to a collection of recordings by Edward R. Murrow.[4] Its accompanying album, which was a minor chart success, featured renditions of several popular patriotic tunes. After 1967, he began recording under his given name Johnny Seay again, and had two more country hits for Columbia Records, "Goin' to Tulsa" and "Three Six Packs, Two Arms and a Juke Box". His 1968 (released in 1970) song "Willie's Drunk and Nellie's Dyin'" were about his real-life neighbors Willie and Nellie York; after the song's release, the family was profiled in Life Magazine (July 17, 1970).[2] Following his second rise to stardom, Seay returned to the life of a cowboy, moving to Justiceburg, Texas.
He died on May 14, 2016, when his single-engine plane clipped a cell telephone tower wire and crashed near West, Texas. He was 75.[5]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | |||
| 1962 | The Crown Prince of Country Music | — | — | Guest Star |
| 1964 | Johnny Sea | — | — | Philips |
| The World of a Country Boy | 17 | — | ||
| 1965 | Live at the Bitter End | — | — | |
| Everybody's Favorite | — | — | Hilltop | |
| 1966 | Day for Decision | 27 | 147 | Warner Bros. |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country[6] | US | CAN | |||
| 1959 | "Frankie's Man, Johnny" | 13 | — | — | singles only |
| 1960 | "Nobody's Darling but Mine" | 13 | — | — | |
| 1964 | "My Baby Walks All Over Me" | 27 | 121 | — | The World of a Country Boy |
| 1965 | "My Old Faded Rose" | 19 | — | — | single only |
| 1966 | "Day for Decision" | 14 | 35 | 47 | Day for Decision |
| 1967 | "Nothin's Bad as Bein' Lonely" | 61 | — | — | singles only |
| 1968 | "Going Out to Tulsa" | 68 | — | — | |
| "Three Six Packs, Two Arms and a Juke Box" | 32 | — | — | ||
References
edit- ^ Review of Day For Decision, Allmusic.com
- ^ a b c Biography, Allmusic.com
- ^ Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. 7th edn, 2000
- ^ The Envelope. Los Angeles Times. Accessed October 19, 2007.
- ^ Robert K. Oermann (May 18, 2016). "LifeNotes: Johnny Sea, Singer Of "Day For Decision," Dies". MusicRow. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.