Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015),[1] better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Writing in the Washington Post after his death, Terence McArdle said, "Mr. Covay’s career traversed nearly the entire spectrum of rhythm-and-blues music, from doo-wop to funk.
[3] He resettled in Washington, D.C., with his mother Helen Zimmerman Randolph and his siblings in the early 1950s and initially sang in the Cherry Keys,[note 1] his family's gospel quartet.
[5] It was co-written with Goodtimers guitarist Ronnie Miller, which established Covay's earthy bluesy style, and featured a young Jimi Hendrix on guitar.
"[11] According to Carla Thomas, the musicians enjoyed working with artists sent by Atlantic, including Covay and Wilson Pickett, but resented having to give them studio time.
[10] On "See-Saw", Covay "achieved an even more powerfully soulful edge;" but he did not maintain momentum as a performer, and most of his later recordings for Atlantic failed to chart.
[4] Over the years Covay's compositions have been recorded by such varied artists as Gene Vincent, Wanda Jackson, Connie Francis, Steppenwolf, The Daughters of Eve, Bobby Womack, the Rolling Stones, Wilson Pickett, Small Faces, Grant Green, Bonnie Raitt, and Peter Wolf, among others.
[citation needed] Covay organized the Soul Clan, a collective venture with Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, Ben E. King and Arthur Conley, in 1968, but it was relatively unsuccessful.
The band's single "Black Woman" made number 43 on the R&B chart in 1970[12] and they recorded two albums: The House of Blue Lights and Different Strokes for Different Folks, before splitting up.
He followed up with two more successful singles, "It's Better to Have (and Don't Need)" in 1973, his only hit as a performer in the UK, followed by "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974, inspired by the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.