See About Me DON COVAY AND THE GOODTIMERS Video Steven Bogarat

Don Covay obituary Songwriter, singer and record producer whose compositions became hits for stars including Chubby Checker and Aretha Franklin Richard Williams Don Covay wrote hits for many well-known soul artists. Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives Don Covay, the US singer and songwriter, who has died aged 76, was an important figure in the soul music explosion of the 1960s. His composition Mercy, Mercy was recorded by the Rolling Stones for their third album in 1965, and Chain of Fools became one of Aretha Franklin’s biggest hits in 1967. As a performer, Covay enjoyed his own moments in the spotlight. When Atlantic Records assembled their top male soul singers in a studio in the summer of 1968 to make a single under the name the Soul Clan, Covay took his place alongside Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, Ben E King and Arthur Conley. The A-side, Soul Meeting, failed to make an impact commensurate with its all-star lineup, but the B-side, That’s How I Feel, remains a prime example of the southern deep-soul ballad, written by Covay (who also produced the session) with Bobby Womack and showcasing the church-trained strengths of each of the five singers.Born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the son of a Baptist preacher, Covay sang gospel music with his family’s group, the Cherry-Keys. A move to Washington DC in his early teens brought him into contact with secular sounds in a more urban environment, and he joined a vocal group called the Rainbows, which at various times also included two other local boys, the future stars Marvin Gaye and Billy Stewart. In 1957 he joined Little Richard’s touring show as a singer, warming the crowd up for the main attraction, and made his recording debut, under the name of Pretty Boy, with a song called Bip Bop Bip, produced by Little Richard and released by Atlantic. His first success as a songwriter came in 1961 with Pony Time, a No 1 hit for Chubby Checker, preceding the Twist craze. Within a year, Covay’s ability to write an emotional ballad was evident when Gladys Knight and the Pips took his Letter Full of Tears into the top 20.

Added 17 Aug 2026