Pappy Daily
Encyclopedia
Harold W. Daily better known as "Pappy" Daily, was an American country music
record producer
and entrepreneur who cofounded the Texas-based record label Starday Records. Daily worked with many of the well-known artists in country music during the 1950s and 60s especially George Jones
, who looked upon him as a father figure as well as a business advisor. Other artists Daily worked with include Melba Montgomery
(signed by Daily following recommendation by Jones), J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper)
, and Roger Miller
.
, Texas at the beginning of the twentieth century. His mother remarried soon after Daily's father died when Daily was a child and the family relocated to Houston
. After his military service, Daily was involved in many different lines of business including working on the railroads and the amusement machine business. Later he started his own venture distributing jukeboxes and it is during this period that he discovered his appreciation of country records from listening to the early hits being played on his own machines. During World War 2 he opened his first record outlet in Houston.
He entered the country music scene in the early 1930s although he had no previous professional background in music and wasn't an accomplished musician or singer himself. It was his business acumen and his ability to nourish talent in others that were his strong points. Daily didn't rise to prominence though until helping found Starday in 1953.
who wanted Jones and the Daily/Pierce partnership. Daily's agreement with Mercury allowed him to continue with his Starday venture and other independent labels, licensing any promising records back to Mercury for the larger label to market and distribute. As a record producer at Mercury, he worked on a succession of hits for Jones.
In 1961, Daily and Pierce ended their partnership and at the end of 1961 Daily left Starday and Mercury to go to United Artists
, becoming their country & western director. Jones, who had followed his mentor to United Artists, had more big hits working with Daily but Daily failed to progress anyone else's career to the same extent as he did with George Jones.
Daily also founded the Musicor Records
label in the 1960s with Art Talmadge and George Jones was their biggest name.
Daily also founded a label with the unusual one-letter name "D" Records focussing on Texas acts but none of them matched his previous success. In 1965, he closed D Records and left United Artists to concentrate his efforts on Musicor, signing artists of the calibre of Gene Pitney
. George Jones and Gene Pitney were by far the biggest names on the Musicor label so by the time the 1970s arrived, with Pitney no longer making records and Jones moving on to Epic Records
, Musicor was left without any names big enough to make the label viable.
In 1967, on the recommendation of Kitty Wells and Roger Miller, Daily teamed young guitarist Zane Ashton (aka Bill Aken) with United Artist country singer Kathy Dee, who had just hit with "Don't Leave Me Lonely Too Long." Ashton was to produce Kathy's next three records. Elvis used to call Ashton 'The Fixer' due to his ability to 'fix' a mediocre sound track with his guitar work. The sound tracks the young guitarist produced for Progressive Sounds Of America were four of the most innovative of the period. These productions, along with those of Ray Price, helped usher in the use of big string sections on country music records. Sadly, Kathy Dee had a stroke and never finished the recordings. By the mid 1970s Daily had quit producing records to concentrate on his music publishing company with Musicor fading from the scene.
Pappy Daily died December 5, 1987 in Houston and is buried in the city. His sons and grandson are still active in the music business.
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...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and entrepreneur who cofounded the Texas-based record label Starday Records. Daily worked with many of the well-known artists in country music during the 1950s and 60s especially George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, who looked upon him as a father figure as well as a business advisor. Other artists Daily worked with include Melba Montgomery
Melba Montgomery
Melba Montgomery is an American country music singer. She is best known for duet hit recordings in the 1960s with country music singer George Jones....
(signed by Daily following recommendation by Jones), J. P. Richardson (the Big Bopper)
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
, and Roger Miller
Roger Miller
Roger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
.
Early life
Daily was born in YoakumYoakum, Texas
Yoakum is a city in DeWitt and Lavaca Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 5,731 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Yoakum is located at ....
, Texas at the beginning of the twentieth century. His mother remarried soon after Daily's father died when Daily was a child and the family relocated to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. After his military service, Daily was involved in many different lines of business including working on the railroads and the amusement machine business. Later he started his own venture distributing jukeboxes and it is during this period that he discovered his appreciation of country records from listening to the early hits being played on his own machines. During World War 2 he opened his first record outlet in Houston.
He entered the country music scene in the early 1930s although he had no previous professional background in music and wasn't an accomplished musician or singer himself. It was his business acumen and his ability to nourish talent in others that were his strong points. Daily didn't rise to prominence though until helping found Starday in 1953.
A career in the music business
Daily founded Starday Records with Jack Starnes and it grew to become one of the most successful independent labels from Texas in the 1950s. It was in the mid 1950s, when Starday signed up George Jones, that Daily became a figure in country music. Together with Don Pierce (who replaced Starnes at Starday), Daily worked extensively with George Jones to further the career of Jones until they came to the attention of Mercury RecordsMercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
who wanted Jones and the Daily/Pierce partnership. Daily's agreement with Mercury allowed him to continue with his Starday venture and other independent labels, licensing any promising records back to Mercury for the larger label to market and distribute. As a record producer at Mercury, he worked on a succession of hits for Jones.
In 1961, Daily and Pierce ended their partnership and at the end of 1961 Daily left Starday and Mercury to go to United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, becoming their country & western director. Jones, who had followed his mentor to United Artists, had more big hits working with Daily but Daily failed to progress anyone else's career to the same extent as he did with George Jones.
Daily also founded the Musicor Records
Musicor Records
Musicor Records was a New York City based record label, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The label was founded by songwriter Aaron Schroeder and distributed by United Artists Records...
label in the 1960s with Art Talmadge and George Jones was their biggest name.
Daily also founded a label with the unusual one-letter name "D" Records focussing on Texas acts but none of them matched his previous success. In 1965, he closed D Records and left United Artists to concentrate his efforts on Musicor, signing artists of the calibre of Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
. George Jones and Gene Pitney were by far the biggest names on the Musicor label so by the time the 1970s arrived, with Pitney no longer making records and Jones moving on to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, Musicor was left without any names big enough to make the label viable.
In 1967, on the recommendation of Kitty Wells and Roger Miller, Daily teamed young guitarist Zane Ashton (aka Bill Aken) with United Artist country singer Kathy Dee, who had just hit with "Don't Leave Me Lonely Too Long." Ashton was to produce Kathy's next three records. Elvis used to call Ashton 'The Fixer' due to his ability to 'fix' a mediocre sound track with his guitar work. The sound tracks the young guitarist produced for Progressive Sounds Of America were four of the most innovative of the period. These productions, along with those of Ray Price, helped usher in the use of big string sections on country music records. Sadly, Kathy Dee had a stroke and never finished the recordings. By the mid 1970s Daily had quit producing records to concentrate on his music publishing company with Musicor fading from the scene.
Pappy Daily died December 5, 1987 in Houston and is buried in the city. His sons and grandson are still active in the music business.
Sources
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003). All Music Guide to Country, 2nd edition, San Francisco, CA: Backbeat, ISBN 0-87930-760-9.