Johnny Sea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Johnny Sea | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Allan Seay, Jr. |
| Also known as | Johnny Seay |
| Born | July 15, 1940 |
| Origin | Gulfport, Mississippi |
| Genre(s) | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, cowboy |
| Website | johnnyseay.com |
Johnny Sea (born John Allan Seay, Jr., July 15, 1940 in Gulfport, Mississippi) is an American country singer. 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".
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[edit] Biography
Seay 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] After these hits his career appeared to be over, and he moved westward to become a cowboy.
In 1964 he began recording again, and his "My Baby Walks All Over Me" and "My Old Faded Love" became country chart successes.[2] Signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1966, he released the song "Day For Decision", a spoken-word response to Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" which featured a background chorus singing "America". The recording was a country success and also peaked at #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 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.[2] Following his second rise to stardom, Sea returned to the life of a cowboy, moving to Justiceburg, Texas.
[edit] Discography
- The Crown Prince of Country Music (with Bill Carlisle)
- Everybody's Favorite:Mr. Johnny Sea
- Johnny Sea (Philips Records, 1964)
- The World of a Country Boy (Philips, 1964) US Country #17[5]
- Live at the Bitter End (Philips, 1965)
- Day For Decision (Warner Bros. Records, 1966) US Country #27, US #147[5]
- Reissued as American Reflections, Lost Gold Records, 1999; reissued under original title, Collector's Choice Music, 2003
- Johnny Seay - The Good Years, 1958-1999 (2000)
- Blue Moon of Kentucky (compilation) (Bear Family, 2006)
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Billboard Chart Positions, Allmusic.com
