Don Covay - Mercy! (1965)

Don Covay is an American soul singer and songwriter.

Like many soul singers who emerged in the 50s and 60s, Don Covay (born in South Carolina in 1938) began his career singing gospel music, in his family quartet the Cherry Keys. He made the move into secular music with The Rainbows, and went solo in 1957 as part of the Little Richard Revue. Many singles followed, released on various different labels, and sometimes credited to 'Don Covay & The Goodtimers'. However he had more success at first as a songwriter rather than a recording artist, and penned "Pony Time" (a #1 hit for Chubby Checker), "I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You" (recorded by Solomon Burke) and "Letter Full Of Tears" (a top 20 hit for Gladys Knight & The Pips).
His first big success as an artist in his own right didn't come until 1964 - "Mercy, Mercy" was a #1 R&B hit, and also got to #35 on the pop charts. Apparently the song's guitar part is played by a young Jimi Hendrix. The album Mercy! quickly followed in the wake of the single's success. It's some great 60s soul/R&B, showcasing Covay's excellent songwriting. Many of the songs here were soon being covered by various British Invasion bands.

|> See-Saw (1966)
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