Ronny & the Daytonas
Encyclopedia
Ronny & the Daytonas were an American
surf rock group
of the early 1960s, whose members included Paul Jensen (vocals, guitar
), Thomas Ramey (bass
, guitar), Lynn Williams (drums
), Lee Kraft (songwriting
, guitar) and John "Bucky" Wilkin (aka Ronny) (songwriting, guitar, vocals), with contributions from many more such as Larry Butler (organ) Ronny Clark and Buzz Cason
.
, Tennessee
in 1964 when Bill Justis
(best known for his hit
"Raunchy") became their manager
and formed Buckhorn Music with the help of Wilkin's mother, Marijohn Wilkin
, a country music writer. Their primary contribution to popular music
was in injecting country
-sounds into the burgeoning surf rock scene. Their 1964 debut single "G.T.O." reached #4 on the Billboard Pop Singles
chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
.
A subsequent single, "Bucket T" reached #54 on the Billboard chart that same year.
After an album
and tour in 1964, Ronny & the Daytonas had another hit in 1965 with a ballad
, "Sandy", and an album that reflected a similar country-inflected surfer sound. In 1966 Ronny and the Daytonas switched to RCA Records
and released a romantic ballad called "Diane, Diane" and the upbeat "All American Girl", both of which had some success on the charts
. The band toured for a short time after this before disbanding.
The mid-1980s saw some interest in re-uniting various band members for a few engagements. The last known appearance of The Daytonas was a concert in upstate New York
on July 4, 1995.
, Buck Wilkin Music publishing was licensing Ronny and the Daytonas songs for the U.S.
and Canada
and occasionally publishes their music on 180 gram vinyl
media in limited production runs.
1965
1966
1967
G.T.O. (Mala 4001) (#122)
1966
Sandy (Mala 4002)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
surf rock group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
of the early 1960s, whose members included Paul Jensen (vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Thomas Ramey (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitar), Lynn Williams (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Lee Kraft (songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, guitar) and John "Bucky" Wilkin (aka Ronny) (songwriting, guitar, vocals), with contributions from many more such as Larry Butler (organ) Ronny Clark and Buzz Cason
Buzz Cason
Buzz Cason is an American rock singer, songwriter, producer and author....
.
History
The group was formed in NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in 1964 when Bill Justis
Bill Justis
William E. "Bill" Justis Jr. was an American pioneer rock and roll musician, composer, and musical arranger, best known for his 1957 Grammy Hall of Fame song, "Raunchy."-Biography:...
(best known for his hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"Raunchy") became their manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and formed Buckhorn Music with the help of Wilkin's mother, Marijohn Wilkin
Marijohn Wilkin
Marijohn Wilkin , née Melson, was an American songwriter, famous in the country music genre for writing a number of hits. Wilkin won numerous awards over the years and was referred to as "The Den Mother of Music Row," as chronicled in her 1978 biography from Word Books--Lord, Let Me Leave a Song...
, a country music writer. Their primary contribution to popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
was in injecting 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...
-sounds into the burgeoning surf rock scene. Their 1964 debut single "G.T.O." reached #4 on the Billboard Pop Singles
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...
chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
A subsequent single, "Bucket T" reached #54 on the Billboard chart that same year.
After an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and tour in 1964, Ronny & the Daytonas had another hit in 1965 with a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, "Sandy", and an album that reflected a similar country-inflected surfer sound. In 1966 Ronny and the Daytonas switched to 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 a romantic ballad called "Diane, Diane" and the upbeat "All American Girl", both of which had some success on the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The band toured for a short time after this before disbanding.
The mid-1980s saw some interest in re-uniting various band members for a few engagements. The last known appearance of The Daytonas was a concert in upstate 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...
on July 4, 1995.
, Buck Wilkin Music publishing was licensing Ronny and the Daytonas songs for the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and occasionally publishes their music on 180 gram vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
media in limited production runs.
Singles
1964- G.T.O. / Hot Rod Baby (Mala 481) (#4)
- California Bound / Hey Little Girl (Mala 490) (#72)
- Bucket "T" / Little Rail Job (Mala 492) (#54)
1965
- Little Scrambler / Teenage Years (Mala 497)
- Beach Boy / No Wheels (Mala 503)
- Sandy / Sandy (Instrumental) (Mala 513) (#27)
- Bay City / Tiger A-Go-Go (Amy 924) (by Buzz and Bucky, John "Bucky" Wilkin with Buzz Cason)
1966
- Goodbye Baby / Somebody To Love Me (Mala 525)
- Antique '32 Studebaker Dictator Coupe / Then The Rains Came (Mala 531)
- All American Girl / Dianne, Dianne (RCA 47-8896) (#69)
- I'll Think Of Summer / Little Scrambler (Mala 542) (#123)
- Winter Weather / Young (RCA 47-9022)
1967
- Walk In The Sun / The Last Letter (RCA 47-9107)
- Brave New World / Hold Onto Your Heart (RCA 47-9253)
- The Girls And The Boys / Alfie (RCA 47-9435)
Albums
1964G.T.O. (Mala 4001) (#122)
- 01. California Bound
- 02. Antique '32 Studebaker Dictator Coupe
- 03. Hot Rod Baby
- 04. Little Rail Job
- 05. Hey Little Girl
- 06. Bucket “T”
- 07. G.T.O.
- 08. The Little Sting Ray That Could
- 09. Surfin’ In The Summertime
- 10. Back In The U.S.A.
- 11. Hot Rod City
- 12. Little Scrambler
1966
Sandy (Mala 4002)
- 01. Sandy
- 02. Hold Me My Baby
- 03. Baby Say No
- 04. When Stars Shine Bright
- 05. Be Good to Your Baby
- 06. If I Had My Way
- 07. Then the Rains Came
- 08. Nanci
- 09. Somebody to Love Me
- 10. Come into My Heart
- 11. I'll Think of Summer
- 12. So in Love