Ronny & the Daytonas
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Ronny & the Daytonas were a surf rock group of the early 1960s whose members included Paul Jensen (vocals, guitar), Don Henderson (Bass, Guitar), Lynn Williams (drums), Lee Craft (writing, guitar) and Buck "Ronny" Wilkins (writing, guitar, vocals) with contributions from many more. The group was formed in Nashville in 1964 when Bill Justis (Best know for his hit "Raunchy") became their manager and formed Buckhorn Music with the help of Buck's mother, Marijohn Wilkin, a country music writer.(1) Their primary contribution to popular music was in injecting country-sounds into the burgeoning surf rock scene. Their 1964 debut single was "G.T.O." was a big hit that is still well-remembered.
After an album and tour in 1964, Ronny & the Daytonas had another hit in 1965 with a ballad, "Sandy", and an album that reflected a similar country-inflected surfer sound. In 1968 Ronny and the Daytonas switched to RCA records and released a romantic ballad called "Diane, Diane" and the upbeat "All American Girl", both of which had some success on the charts. The band toured for a short time after this before disbanding.(2)
The mid-eighties saw some interest in re-joining various band members for a few one-time engagaments. The last known appearance of "The Daytonas" was a concert in upstate New York on July 4th, 1995.(2)
As of last edit in 2004, Buck Wilkin Music publishing (3) was licensing Ronny and the Daytonas songs for the U.S. and Canada and occasionally publishes their music on 180 gram vinyl media in limited production runs.
References
- (1) Wilkin, Buck. Ronny and the Daytonas GTO. Retrieved May 30, 2004 from http://www.gto.vg/default.html
- (2) Gari, Bill. Ronny and the Daytonas : where they are now. Retrieved May 30, 2004 from http://www.gto.vg/Pages/where.html
- (3) Buck Wilkin Music, LLC (2000). Buck Wilkin Music, LLC. Retrieved May 30, 2004 from http://www.gto.vg/Pages/bwmusicpub.html