Johnny Daye Needs Somebody

Johnnie Daye - I Need Somebody

Blue-eyed soul singer Johnnie Daye was introduced to Stax Records by Otis Redding, who was at that time mentoring the singer (as he also did with Arthur Conley and Billy Young). Two excellent 45s were released, one in the waning days of the "blue" Stax era and one in the early days of the "snapping fingers" era. "I Need Somebody" was the flip to "What I'll Do For Satisfaction" (which Janet Jackson covered in the '90s) and features a nice beat, strong singing by Daye, and great horn charts. All of Daye's recordings for Stax, Jomada and Cameo-Parkway are worth checking out, most notably Daye's final single for the label, the exquisite ballad "Stay Baby Stay," which I might have to post one of these days soon.