Don Covay R.I.P.

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Don Covay
R.I.P.
(1938-2015)

Regardless of the subject matter of adjacent pages,
there is always room for music
in GoFatherLand.

One of my favorite Aretha Franklin songs
is CHAIN OF FOOLS.

One of my favorite songs from the Rolling Stones'
early years is MERCY MERCY.

But this page is not about me.

It is about the man who wrote
both of those songs.

Don Covay,  a singer/songwriter
with too many credentials
to list here, is that man. 

He died ten days ago.

CHAIN OF FOOLS  was a song "he had written in his youth
while singing Gospel with his brothers and sisters."

Fifteen years later, it was recorded by Aretha.

Any song that begins with a seductive tremolo guitar lick
and the words  Chain Chain Chain is impossible
to not dance to.

You cant test that theory by clicking  here.

In 1964, Don Covay recorded MERCY MERCY.
It featured a then-unknown guitarist
named Jimi Hendrix.

Mercy Mercy was a #1 hit on the R&B charts.

Your day will be improved by listening
to the original recording.

You cant test that theory by clicking  there.

Like most allegedly hip white kids of the Sixties,
I did not know the song until it was covered by the Rolling Stones.

The original recording had Hendrix playing guitar
and the cover version has Mick Jagger emulating
Don Covay's voice,  note for note.


There is no shortage of good music on this planet.

But to say the same thing about gratitude,
we need Mick Jagger and Aretha Franklin
to pave the way for having Don Covay
enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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