Robert James Byrd (July 1, 1930[1] – July 27, 1990),[2] known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record "Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas.[3] Day also wrote the top-10 Billboard hits "Little Bitty Pretty One" (1957, Thurston Harris) and "Over and Over" (1965, the Dave Clark Five).
Biography
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States,[4] Day moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of 15.[4] His first recording was "Young Girl" in 1949 in the R&B group the Hollywood Flames, released in 1950 on the Selective Label. He went several years with minor musical success limited to the West Coast. He recorded under numerous other names: The Jets, The Voices, The Sounds, The Crescendos, and as the original "Bob" in the duo Bob & Earl with singer Earl Nelson. As a member of the Flames,[3] he used the stage name Bobby Day. His penned song, "Buzz Buzz Buzz" was that outfit's first and biggest success.[4] In 1957, Day formed his own band called the Satellites, following which he recorded three songs that are seen today as rock and roll classics.[5]
In 2012–2013, his uncharted recording, "Beep-Beep-Beep", was the musical soundtrack for a Kia Sorento television commercial shown nationwide in the US.
