Margie Day
Encyclopedia
Margie Day now Margie Day Walker, is an American
former R&B singer who had success in the 1950s and 1960s.
, Virginia
, one of four children. She grew up listening to the gospel
, opera
, swing and jazz
records bought by her brothers or played on the radio
, and took piano
lessons. After graduating from high school
, she went to Virginia State College to study music, but soon decided that that was not what she wanted. She returned home to work in a cafeteria at a local military base, where she met a soldier who played piano, and occasionally sang with him. He introduced her to local musician Luther Wilson, whose band she joined in 1945. After a few months she relocated to New York
, and began singing at a lounge in Newark
, New Jersey
. During this period she began using the stage name Margie Day. She joined a vocal quartet, "Four Bars and a Melody", and recorded a single, "Near You", with them on the Savoy
label in 1947.
Shortly afterwards, she married and returned to Norfolk to have a baby. In early 1950, she was approached by the Griffin Brothers, a popular local band, and invited to join them. She did so, and sang with them in Virginia and North Carolina
before they received a recording deal with Dot Records
. Their first record billed together as Margie Day with the Griffin Brothers Orchestra, "Street Walkin' Daddy" / "Riffin' With Griffin", became a # 7 hit on the Billboard R&B chart in late 1950, with sales reportedly reaching over 15 thousand a week. The follow-up record was "Little Red Rooster
", unrelated to the Willie Dixon
song and, by Day's account, written by Kay Griffin with help from Day herself, which reached # 5 on the R&B chart in early 1951. Billboard
s review stated: "Thrush packs a load of oomph in this tangy up blues, with okay combo boogie in back." She toured widely with the group in 1951 and 1952, and they released several other singles on the Dot label including "Sadie Green", "I'm Gonna Jump In The River", "The Clock Song (Let Your Pendulum Swing)", and "Pretty Baby", her last entry in the R&B top ten. The group also featured singer Tommy Brown
.
In late 1952, she left the Griffin Brothers, joined the Floyd Dixon
Combo as featured vocalist, and also began recording solo, her first solo release on Dot being "Midnight". The following year, she joined with the Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams
band for a series of concerts and tours, appearing on the same bills as T-Bone Walker
, Fats Domino
, Charles Brown
, Ruth Brown
and others. In September 1953, she left Dot Records and signed for Decca
, her first release on the new label being the self-penned "Snatching It Back". Although her records - including "Take Out Your False Teeth Daddy" - failed to make the charts, she continued to tour widely and successfully with the Paul Williams band through 1954 and early 1955. In May 1955 she joined Atlantic Records
. They released the single "Pitty Pat Band", credited to Margie Day with the Soul Destroyers, on their subsidiary Cat label; although it was promoted by disc jockey
Alan Freed
, it failed to make the chart.
Margie Day continued to perform as a solo singer in the late 1950s, and released records on several labels including DeLuxe
(a subsidiary of King Records
), Coed
and LeGrand. However, having had another baby and tiring of touring, she retired from the music business around 1964 and returned to Norfolk, Virginia. There, she trained in slipcover
and drapery
design, before returning to sing with a trio led by jazz pianist Dick Morgan, which also featured Nap Shields of the Griffin Brothers on drums. She then signed a new recording contract, with RCA Records
, and released two albums of pop
and standards
in the late 1960s, Dawn of a New Day and Experience. Although sales were disappointing, the albums have subsequently been compared to Billie Holiday
, Dinah Washington
and Nancy Wilson. Day returned to performing, in Miami, Atlantic City, and Chicago
. She was booked to perform in Puerto Rico
in 1969, but became ill and the engagement was cancelled.
During her convalescence, in her own words she "found God", and decided finally to give up her career in music. In 1983, under her married name of Margie Day Walker, she launched a community effort in Norfolk, Virginia, aiming to develop and train children in the area in the performing and visual arts, to help foster their intellectual growth, emotional and moral development, and self esteem. This became the Centerstage children's arts workshop, a not for profit organization incorporated in January 1985, with Margie Day Walker as Executive Director, and which now finds and develops talented children and coaches them in art, drama, music and dance.
In 2010, rights-management firm Beach Road Music, LLC, acquired the Coed Records
catalog, subsequently re-releasing three digitally re-mastered 1961 Margie Day singles on the compilation album From The Vault: The Coed Records Lost Master Tapes, Volume 1.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former R&B singer who had success in the 1950s and 1960s.
Life and career
Margaret Hoffler was born and brought up in NorfolkNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, one of four children. She grew up listening to the gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, swing and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
records bought by her brothers or played on the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, and took piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons. After graduating from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, she went to Virginia State College to study music, but soon decided that that was not what she wanted. She returned home to work in a cafeteria at a local military base, where she met a soldier who played piano, and occasionally sang with him. He introduced her to local musician Luther Wilson, whose band she joined in 1945. After a few months she relocated to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and began singing at a lounge in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. During this period she began using the stage name Margie Day. She joined a vocal quartet, "Four Bars and a Melody", and recorded a single, "Near You", with them on the Savoy
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
label in 1947.
Shortly afterwards, she married and returned to Norfolk to have a baby. In early 1950, she was approached by the Griffin Brothers, a popular local band, and invited to join them. She did so, and sang with them in Virginia and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
before they received a recording deal with Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
. Their first record billed together as Margie Day with the Griffin Brothers Orchestra, "Street Walkin' Daddy" / "Riffin' With Griffin", became a # 7 hit on the Billboard R&B chart in late 1950, with sales reportedly reaching over 15 thousand a week. The follow-up record was "Little Red Rooster
Little Red Rooster
"Little Red Rooster" is a song that is a classic of the blues. Howlin' Wolf recorded "The Red Rooster" in 1961, a song credited to blues arranger and songwriter Willie Dixon, although earlier songs have been cited as inspiration...
", unrelated to the Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
song and, by Day's account, written by Kay Griffin with help from Day herself, which reached # 5 on the R&B chart in early 1951. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s review stated: "Thrush packs a load of oomph in this tangy up blues, with okay combo boogie in back." She toured widely with the group in 1951 and 1952, and they released several other singles on the Dot label including "Sadie Green", "I'm Gonna Jump In The River", "The Clock Song (Let Your Pendulum Swing)", and "Pretty Baby", her last entry in the R&B top ten. The group also featured singer Tommy Brown
Tommy Brown (singer)
Tommy Brown is an American R&B singer, who achieved most success in the early 1950s, particularly on records with The Griffin Brothers....
.
In late 1952, she left the Griffin Brothers, joined the Floyd Dixon
Floyd Dixon
For the American football player see Floyd Dixon Floyd Dixon was an American rhythm and blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
Combo as featured vocalist, and also began recording solo, her first solo release on Dot being "Midnight". The following year, she joined with the Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams
Paul Williams (saxophonist)
Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams was an American blues and rhythm and blues saxophonist and songwriter. In his Honkers and Shouters, Arnold Shaw credits Williams as one of the first to employ the honking tenor sax solo that became the hallmark of rhythm and blues and rock and roll in the 1950s and...
band for a series of concerts and tours, appearing on the same bills as T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
, Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, Charles Brown
Charles Brown (musician)
Charles Brown , born in Texas City, Texas was an American blues singer and pianist whose soft-toned, slow-paced blues-club style influenced the development of blues performance during the 1940s and 1950s...
, Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
and others. In September 1953, she left Dot Records and signed for Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, her first release on the new label being the self-penned "Snatching It Back". Although her records - including "Take Out Your False Teeth Daddy" - failed to make the charts, she continued to tour widely and successfully with the Paul Williams band through 1954 and early 1955. In May 1955 she joined Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. They released the single "Pitty Pat Band", credited to Margie Day with the Soul Destroyers, on their subsidiary Cat label; although it was promoted by disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
, it failed to make the chart.
Margie Day continued to perform as a solo singer in the late 1950s, and released records on several labels including DeLuxe
De Luxe Records
De Luxe Records was a Linden, New Jersey, United States based record label formed in 1944 by brothers David and Jules Braun. The label flourished in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1947, Syd Nathan, the founder and owner of King Records, purchased a majority interest in De Luxe. In 1949, Nathan moved the...
(a subsidiary of King Records
King Records (USA)
King Records is an American record label, started in 1943 by Syd Nathan and originally headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.-History:At first it specialized in country music, at the time still known as "hillbilly music." King advertised, "If it's a King, It's a Hillbilly -- If it's a Hillbilly, it's a...
), Coed
Coed Records
George Paxton and Marvin Cane formed Coed Records, Inc. in New York City in 1958, and had offices at 1619 Broadway in the Brill Building. George Paxton produced many of the songs on this label, most of which were of the East Coast Doo-wop group style, and some of these became hit songs of the day...
and LeGrand. However, having had another baby and tiring of touring, she retired from the music business around 1964 and returned to Norfolk, Virginia. There, she trained in slipcover
Slipcover
A slipcover is a fitted protective cover that may be slipped off and on a piece of upholstered furniture. Slipcovers are usually made of cloth...
and drapery
Drapery
Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles . It may refer to cloth used for decorative purposes – such as around windows – or to the trade of retailing cloth, originally mostly for clothing, formerly conducted by drapers.In art history, drapery refers to any cloth or...
design, before returning to sing with a trio led by jazz pianist Dick Morgan, which also featured Nap Shields of the Griffin Brothers on drums. She then signed a new recording contract, with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, and released two albums of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and standards
Standard (music)
In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...
in the late 1960s, Dawn of a New Day and Experience. Although sales were disappointing, the albums have subsequently been compared to Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
and Nancy Wilson. Day returned to performing, in Miami, Atlantic City, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. She was booked to perform in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1969, but became ill and the engagement was cancelled.
During her convalescence, in her own words she "found God", and decided finally to give up her career in music. In 1983, under her married name of Margie Day Walker, she launched a community effort in Norfolk, Virginia, aiming to develop and train children in the area in the performing and visual arts, to help foster their intellectual growth, emotional and moral development, and self esteem. This became the Centerstage children's arts workshop, a not for profit organization incorporated in January 1985, with Margie Day Walker as Executive Director, and which now finds and develops talented children and coaches them in art, drama, music and dance.
In 2010, rights-management firm Beach Road Music, LLC, acquired the Coed Records
Coed Records
George Paxton and Marvin Cane formed Coed Records, Inc. in New York City in 1958, and had offices at 1619 Broadway in the Brill Building. George Paxton produced many of the songs on this label, most of which were of the East Coast Doo-wop group style, and some of these became hit songs of the day...
catalog, subsequently re-releasing three digitally re-mastered 1961 Margie Day singles on the compilation album From The Vault: The Coed Records Lost Master Tapes, Volume 1.