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BOBBY DAY

“ROCKIN’ ROBIN”

(Jimmie “Leon Rene” Thomas)

Class 229

No. 2    October 13, 1958

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Bobby Day–born–Robert Byrd on July 1, 1932–moved from Fort Worth, Texas, to Los Angeles in 1947.He

would have only been 15 then, but claimed, in an interview with Jeff  Tamarkin in Goldmine magazine,

the he came to town on a college scholarship.  “In mathematics and music, I got straight As and one B,

but I don’t talk about that B.”

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School was out for good once Bobby, David Ford, Willie Ray Rockwell, and Curley Dinkins formed THE

HOLLYWOOD FLAMES.  The Flames recorded a slew of singles on labels like Selective, Specialty, Spin,

Unique, and Recorded in Hollywood.  Before they would finally click in a big way with Day’s “Buzz, Buzz,

Buzz,” the members would come and go, as would the names under which they recorded–the Flames, the

4 Flames, the Hollywood 4 Flames, the Hollywood Flames, the Ebbtides, the Jets, the Satellites, and the

Tangiers.  Day left the group in 1957.

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“Little Bitty Pretty One,” penned by Bobby, was not the first record as a solo act; he had recorded as

Bobby Byrd as far back as 1955.  Nor was “Little Bitty” his first 45 as Bobby Day–months earlier, Chess

Records had  issued “Come Scven” under that name.  But “Little Bitty Pretty One” was a single that

looked like it would be a solid hit for Bobby Day.   Unfortunately, competitors at the neighboring Aladdin

label had THURSTON HARRIS cover Day’s dazzler, and while Bobby’s original reading did make the pop

listings (#57, 1957), it was hardly the smash it could have been.

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After a few forgettable follow·ups, Bobby came across the song of his life.  “I was in tight with Leon Rene

[a,k.a. Jimmie Thomas],” he told Tamarkin.  “He called one night and told me about this tune he had and

he thought we should do.  So actually, ‘Rockin’ Robin” was his song, but we sort of had a little deal on this

song.  We used my group, which had been called the Hollywood Flames but was now called the Satellites.

l told them how to sing the song.  We were only record­ing on a one-or-two track in those days, so we

couldn’t make mistakes.”

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They didn it, and both sides charted.   But in hind­sight, perhaps it would have been better to have issued

the “B” side, “Over and Over” (#41, 1958), separately.  Day’s next three singles, all released in 1959, did

make the Hot 100, but only barely–“The Bluebird, The Buzzard, and The Oriole” (#54), “That’s All I

Want” (#98), and “Gotta New Girl” (#62).

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Bobby Day continued to record throughout the” ’70s, but nothing further ventured onto the listings.   Day

soon joined forces with Hollywood Flame Earl Nelson as half of Bob & Earl.  The act had chartlng with

“Don’t Ever Leave Me” (#85, 1962) and the orignal “Harlem Shuffie” (#44, 1964); by 1964, Bobby Reif,

a.k.a. JACKIE LEE, had replaced Day.

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Bobby formed his own label, Birdland, and kept plugglng away under various guises as “Baby Face”

Byrd, the Birds, the Birdies, the Daybirds, and the Sounds.  His compositions. as recorded by other acts,

were quite successful.  “Little Bitty Pretty One” was a return-charter for Thurston Harris (#6, 1957),

Frankie Lymon (#58, 1960), Clyde McPhatter (#25, 1962), and the Jackson 5 (#13, 1972); “Over and

Over”was a hit for Tburston Harris (#96, 1958) and the Dave Clark Five (#1, 1965); and “Rockin’ Robin”

was a hit for THE RIV­ERAS (#96, 1964) and Michael jackson (#2, 1972).

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And where has Bobby been all these years?  After his own records failed to chart, he moved to Australia

and New Zealand, remaining there for a lengthly spell.

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Bobby Day died of cancer on July 15, 1990.