Happy Birthday, Don Covay!

On March 24, 1936 soul singer/songwriter Don Covay was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Once I heard Covay’s voice at the front end of his 1964 single “Mercy, Mercy” I totally heard where Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger drew his inspiration from. Don’t believe me? Just play any Stones album from the mid-60 through the end of the 70s and you’ll hear how similar the two are. Then listen to Covay’s Mercy! album. Oh yeah, the lead single for the album “Mercy, Mercy” also happens to feature a young guitarist by the name of… Jimi Hendrix.

After doing some research to see what others thought, it’s no secret, Jagger and the band were a big fans of blues and soul music. They loved it so much they covered “Mercy, Mercy” and used it to begin their 1965 US version of Out Of Our Heads LP. Jagger’s voice on this cover sounds almost identical to Covay’s voice, its really incredible.

Thanks for writing great lyrics, carrying a soulful vocal style and providing a great source of inspiration for others.