Johnny Sea
Encyclopedia
Johnny Sea, Johnny Seay (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".
). 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". 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 Love", became country chart successes. 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 #35 on the US pop charts
; it was nominated for a Grammy award
but lost to a collection of recordings by Edward R. Murrow
. 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). Following his second rise to stardom, Seay returned to the life of a cowboy, moving to Justiceburg, Texas
.
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
) is an American country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
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
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
single "Day For Decision".
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 AndersonBill Anderson (country music)
James William Anderson III , better known as Bill Anderson, is an American country music singer, songwriter and television personality. He has released more than 40 studio albums and has reached No...
). As a result of this he was offered a recording contract as well as the opportunity to appear on Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
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". After these hits he moved westward to become a cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
.
In 1964 he began recording again and his songs, "My Baby Walks All Over Me" and "My Old Faded Love", became country chart successes. Signing with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
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 #35 on the US pop charts
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
; it was nominated for a Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
but lost to a collection of recordings by Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
. Its accompanying album, which was a minor chart success, featured renditions of several popular patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
tunes. After 1967, he began recording under his given name Johnny Seay again, and had two more country hits for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, "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). Following his second rise to stardom, Seay returned to the life of a cowboy, moving to Justiceburg, Texas
Justiceburg, Texas
Justiceburg is an unincorporated community in Garza County, Texas, United States. It is located along the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River, 15 miles southeast of the county seat, Post.-Geography:...
.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1962 | The Crown Prince of Country Music | — | — | Guest Star |
| 1964 | Johnny Sea | — | — | Phillips |
| The World of a Country Boy | 17 | — | ||
| 1965 | Live at the Bitter End | — | — | |
| Everybody's Favorite | — | — | Hilltop | |
| 1966 | Day for Decision | 27 | 147 | Warner |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
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 | — | — |