Charles Wayne "Chuck" Day (August 5, 1942 – March 10, 2008), also known as Bing Day, was an American

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

and baritone bluesman from the South Side of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Biography

His musical talents began to develop at age 3, and at age 15, he recorded the single "Pony Tail Partner" under the name Bing Day at

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. The co ...

(1957). Day recorded several singles over the next ten years as 'Bing Day' and, also, 'Ford Hopkins'. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, in 1965 and began a career as one of the most listened to "unknown" artists in

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

. He became bassist with

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

' Band. Day invented the signature lead guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompanim ...

afterward used by Rivers in " Secret Agent Man". Day worked with

the Mamas and the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

in 1967, again as bassist, also playing as second guitarist on "

Monday, Monday "Monday, Monday" is a 1966 song written by John Phillips and recorded by the Mamas & the Papas, using background instruments played by members of the Wrecking Crew for their 1966 album '' If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears''. It was the grou ...

" and "

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in ...

". During the 1970s and 1980s, Day played on numerous recordings including

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer / songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before ...

's ''Freaker's Ball''. He also wrote for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of ''

Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a feline con artist who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began ...

'' and performed with musicians

Luther Tucker Luther Tucker (January 20, 1936 – June 18, 1993) was an American blues guitarist. While soft-spoken and shy, Tucker made his presence known through his unique and clearly recognizable guitar style. Tucker helped to define the music known as ...

and

Merl Saunders Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ. Biography Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Polyte ...

. Day formed his own band in 1986. Day resided in

Fairfax, California Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of . The population was 7,605 at the 2020 census. History The Coast Miwok Native Americans occupied s ...

from 1969, and continued to play locally in the

San Rafael San Rafael may refer to: Places Argentina * San Rafael, Mendoza * San Rafael Department, Mendoza Bolivia * San Rafael de Velasco, capital of San Rafael Municipality * San Rafael Municipality, Santa Cruz Chile * San Rafael, Chile, Maule ...

area of California until he was taken ill in January 2007. After three months of care at

Marin General Hospital Marin (French) or Marín (Spanish "sailor") may refer to: People * Marin (name), including a list of persons with the given name or surname * MaRin, in-game name of professional South Korean ''League of Legends'' player Jang Gyeong-hwan (born 199 ...

, he was admitted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital before being relocated to District Hospital in Healdsburg, where he remained until his death on March 10, 2008. A memorial and parade was held in Fairfax for Day on March 22, 2008. After his death, it was revealed he was the biological father of Owen Vanessa Elliot, the daughter of singer

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...

the Mamas and The Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

Discography

Solo releases

* "Pony Tail Partner" / "Since You Left Me" - Federal Records (1957) as Bing Day * "Rain Silver Dollar" / "Dancing Puppets" - Fraternity Records (1958) as Bing Day With Danny Bell And The Bell Hops * "Poor Stagger Lee" -

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

(1958) * "Mama's Place" / "I Can't Help It" -

(1959) as Bing Day * "Mary's Place" / "How Do I Do It" - Mercury Records (1959) as Bing Day * "Ya Fine, Fine, Fine" - Apex Records (1959) as Ford Hopkins * "How Do I Do It" - Mercury Records (1960) * "She Was Not My Kind" - Apex Records (1961) * "Memphis Tennessee" - Cameo/Parkway Records (1966) * "We Gotta Get Outta this Place" - Fraternity Records (1967)

With
Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...
(1965)

* "Here We GoGo Again" * "Rivers Rocks the Folk"

With
The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of ...
(1965-1966)

* "

" - Second Guitar * "

" - Second Guitar

With The Young Gyants (1968)

* "Tom Dooley" / "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" - Parkway * "Memphis" / "It Hurts So Bad" - Cameo-Parkway (1964)

With
Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer / songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before ...
(1971)

* '' Freakin' At The Freaker's Ball''

The Chuck Day Band (1997)

* ''Desperate Measures''

With Steven Wolf (2006)

* ''20th Century Wolf, Volume I'' **Day co-wrote "You Don't Love Me Anymore" with Steven Wolf and Annie McIntyre; played lead guitar on the 2006 recording of the song.

Soundtracks

''
Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a feline con artist who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began ...
''

* "House Rock" * "Winston"

'' Switchblade Sisters''

* "Full Track"

''
Blacula ''Blacula'' is a 1972 American blaxploitation horror film directed by William Crain. It stars William Marshall in the title role about an 18th-century African prince named Mamuwalde, who is turned into a vampire (and later locked in a coffin) by ...
''

* "Black Girl"

''
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...
''

* played the

waterphone A waterphone (also ocean harp) is a type of inharmonic acoustic tuned idiophone consisting of a stainless steel resonator ''bowl'' or ''pan'' with a cylindrical ''neck'' and bronze rods of different lengths and diameters around the rim of the bow ...

Television and video

* Sleazy Arms Hotel with Jim Gabbert (1998) * Pacifica Public Access (1998) * Zone Music Local Showcase (1998) * Boney Maroni Promotional - Lifesigns Photo (2000) * various Lifesigns Photo video (2000 to present) * numerous commercial voice-overs including "Fall into the Gap" and "Member FDIC"

Other projects

* Chuck Day and the Burning Sensations * Fairfax Tavernacle Choir * The Dori Green/Dave Bergman Show * The 19 Broadway Swing Band * The Chuck and Sam Duet

References

External links

Chuck Day and the Burning Sensations website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Chuck 1942 births 2008 deaths American blues guitarists American rhythm and blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers American blues singer-songwriters Singers from Chicago Soul-blues musicians 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists People from Fairfax, California Guitarists from Chicago 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Illinois Singer-songwriters from California