The “Golden Hits Of The 50s”
Main MenuConcept Refinement The Author..Wayne JancikGolden Age Of The 50sGolden Age Of The 60s1970s and There After
BONNIE LOU
“DADDY-O”
(Louis Innis, Charlie Gore, Buford Abner)
King 4835
No. 14 December 3, 1955
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Bonnie was born Mary Kath on October 27, 1924, in Towanda, Illinois. For more than 20 years, she
was a favorite of country fans in the Midwest. Her big break came by chance when Billboard’s Bill
Sachs and WLW Cincinnati talent scout Bill McCluskey–en route to the 1944 International Showman’s
Convention in Chicago–overheard a salesman on the radio singing the praises of this little guitar-picking
yodeler. McCluskey sought out Sally (then a regular on Kansas City’s KMBC), gave her a listen, and hired
her for his station’s “Midwestern Hayride.”
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A decade later came Bonnie Lou’s lone pop hit, “Daddy-0,” a take-off on a hip phrase then in teen currency.
The lyrics were to youthful ears, “like the most, Dad.” The arrangement was rock’n’roll Cincinnati-country
style, meaning it included clarinet and accordion. The vocal featured Bonnie squealing–in a good way–in
her best Teresa Brewer manner.
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For years before and thereafter, Bonnie Lou had local chartings and some country hits. She is reportedly
still delighting fans with appearances; that is, per the early ’90s.