Alan Earle O'Day (October 3, 1940 – May 17, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for writing and singing " Undercover Angel," a million-selling Gold-certified American No. 1 hit in 1977. He also wrote songs for many other notable performers, such as 1974's

Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a showbusiness family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on rad ...

No. 1 hit " Angie Baby" and

the Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los ...

' No. 3 Gold hit "

Rock and Roll Heaven "Rock and Roll Heaven" is a song written by Alan O'Day and Johnny Stevenson, popularized by The Righteous Brothers. It is a paean to several deceased singers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, and has been rewritten a number of ...

". In the 1980s he moved from pop music to television, co-writing nearly 100 songs for the Saturday morning '' Muppet Babies'' series, and in the 1990s he wrote and performed music on the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

series ''

Really Wild Animals ''Really Wild Animals'' is an American children's nature series, hosted by Dudley Moore as Spin, an anthropomorphic globe. Comprising 13 episodes, it was released between October 24, 1993, and March 6, 1996. It was nominated for five national ...

''. O'Day also collaborated with

Tatsuro Yamashita , occasionally credited as Tatsu Yamashita or Tats Yamashita, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer, who is known for pioneering the style of Japanese adult-oriented rock/soft rock music. His most well-known song is "Christmas E ...

on a series of popular songs in Japan including "Your Eyes", "Magic Ways", "Christmas Eve" and "Fragile" (which

Tyler the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape ''B ...

interpolated in " Gone, Gone/Thank You").

Life and career

Early years

O'Day was born in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States, the only child of Earle and Jeannette O'Day, who both worked at the ''

Pasadena Star-News The ''Pasadena Star-News'' is a paid local daily newspaper for the greater Pasadena, California area. The Pasadena ''Star-News'' is a member of Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Angeles Newspaper Group), since 1996. It is also part ...

''. Earle took newspaper photos and did publicity for the

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

Chamber of Commerce. Jeannette wrote for the ''Star News'', as well as being a

schoolteacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. wh ...

Thermal, California Thermal is an unincorporated community within the Coachella Valley in Riverside County, California, United States, located approximately southeast of Palm Springs and about north of the Salton Sea. The community's elevation is below mean sea ...

and other schools in the

Coachella Valley , map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg , map_caption = Coachella Valley , location = California, United States , coordinates = , width = , boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacint ...

. O'Day stated that he remembered creating melodies on a

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...

at the age of six. By the fifth grade, his favorite artist was

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...

, and he was serenading his classmates on the ukulele. At Coachella Valley Union High School, after participating in a band called The Imperials, he started his own rock'n'roll band, The Shoves with heavy influences from

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, and

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

, who appeared on KABC-TV/Los Angeles' Hub Talent Show on August 25, 1958. A third band, The Renés (O'Day, Oscar Arias, Eddie Arias, Ernie Gurrola, Sal Velasquez, Johnny Alvarez & Don Duarte) played Latin and Mexican standards mixed with rock and roll tunes and gave him the opportunity to write his own songs. In 1959, R&B pioneer

Johnny Otis Johnny Otis (born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes; December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012) was an American singer, musician, composer, bandleader, record producer, and talent scout. He was a seminal influence on American R&B and rock and roll. He ...

auditioned the Renés after an auditioning singer they were backing didn't pass muster. Impressed with their playing and the O'Day compositions, Otis recorded and produced the band performing three O'Day originals and a few covers at El Dorado Studios in Hollywood over a few sessions. but the recordings were never released as most of the members of the Renés were minors. In 1961, he found work via a friend from high school,

Arch Hall Jr. Arch Hall Jr. (born December 2, 1943) is an American former actor. Early career Born in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, Van Nuys, California, Hall began his career as a teen actor and musician, appearing in a number of early 1960s films ...

, whose father, Arch Hall Sr., was an independent movie producer. The senior Hall wrote and produced films that starred the junior Hall, and O'Day helped out with the sound, in 1962, acting as music editor on the film ''

Eegah ''Eegah'' (sometimes stylized as ''Eegah!'' and also known as ''Eegah: The Name Written in Blood'') is a 1962 American horror film directed by Arch Hall Sr. (as Nicholas Merriwether) and starring Arch Hall Jr., Marilyn Manning and Richard Kie ...

'' and musical director on ''

Wild Guitar Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

'', sound recorder on 1963's '' The Sadist'', and sound mixer on the 1964 ''What's Up Front!'' After ''

,'' Arch Jr. and O'Day put together a four-piece band (called The Archers) played in clubs on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...

such as

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...

and

Pandora's Box Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod reported that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing phys ...

and served as the backing band for

Dobie Gray Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown; July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter whose musical career spanned soul, country, pop, and musical theater. His hit songs included " The 'In' Crowd" in 1965 and "Dr ...

. Around 1965, O'Day was in the band Alan & Bob & Denny, a show group that did pop songs and some comedy. They played nightclubs in the Pasadena & Hollywood area, and were on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' on November 14, 1965, as the backup band for singer/actress/comedian,

Virginia O'Brien Virginia Lee O'Brien (April 18, 1919 – January 16, 2001) was an American actress, singer, and radio personality known for her comedic singing roles in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals of the 1940s. Life and career O'Brien primarily performed in ...

Songwriter

In 1969, he signed with E.H. Morris Music, followed by

Warner Brothers Music Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

in 1971, writing "The Drum," which became a hit single for

Bobby Sherman Robert Cabot Sherman Jr. (born July 22, 1943), known professionally as Bobby Sherman, is an American retired paramedic, police officer, singer, actor and occasional songwriter who became a teen idol in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He had a s ...

. In 1974, three more of his songs did well: "Train of Thought," recorded by

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

, "Rock And Roll Heaven," recorded by

The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los ...

, and " Angie Baby," recorded by

. " Angie Baby" hit No. 1 at the end of December 1974 and became one of Reddy's biggest-selling singles. In a 2006 article, O'Day said the song took three months to write; originally, it was loosely based on the character in the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

' "

Lady Madonna "Lady Madonna" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. In March 1968, it was released as a mono single, backed with " The Inner Light". The song was recorded on 3 a ...

". To make the character ("Angie") more interesting, he based her on a neighbor girl he had known who seemed "socially retarded". O'Day also thought of his own childhood; an only child who was often ill, many of his days were spent in bed with a radio to keep him company. O'Day showed the unfinished song to his therapist, who pointed out that the character's reactions were not those of a retarded person; O'Day then switched Angie from mentally "slow" to "crazy." This expanded to her living in a dream world of lovers, inspired by the songs on her radio. When an evil-minded neighbor tries to enter her room to take advantage of the girl, he is instead drawn into her reality, literally shrinking him down into her radio, "never to be found."

Solo career

O'Day released his first solo album, ''Caress Me Pretty Music'' in 1973. The album was not a major commercial success and he temporarily put his recording career on hiatus. In 1977,

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

formed Pacific Records as a label for their composers who also performed. O'Day was the first and only artist signed to the label, and its first release was " Undercover Angel." The song, which he described as a "nocturnal novelette," was released in February 1977. Within a few months it had become No. 1 in the country, and has sold approximately two million copies. It was also a hit in Australia, reaching No. 9 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. ("Undercover Angel" also landed O'Day in an exclusive club as one of only a handful of writers/performers to pen a No. 1 hit for themselves ''and'' a No. 1 for another artist.) A follow-up single, "Started Out Dancing, Ended Up Making Love" stalled at No. 73, marking O'Day's second and last appearance on the US chart. Three years later, in March 1980, a song called " Skinny Girls" reached No. 11 on the

. In 1981, O'Day co-wrote "Your Eyes" with singer-songwriter

, which became a hit in Japan. This was one of many collaborations between O'Day and Yamashita, including songs such as "Fragile" and "Theme From Big Wave". O'Day left Warner Brothers in 1982 to write and self-publish. In 1983, he was invited to Tokyo to co-write six more songs with Yamashita for his album ''Big Wave.'' The collaboration yielded a Gold Disc Award in Japan. In February 2013, the label 1st Phase Records released a new album titled ''Make Me Believe''. Co-produced by Alan O'Day and Ken Kaufman featuring country music recording artist Paul Scott, including two new original songs co-written by O'Day: "Uh-Uh (What She Wants)," and an unofficial NASCAR national anthem titled "NASCAR CRAZY". NASCAR Crazy" is a co-write by Alan O'Day and Ken Kaufman.

Television

In 1983, O'Day met San Francisco's singer-songwriter Janis Liebhart, with whom he co-wrote a children's song for a new Saturday morning animated TV show,

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

's '' Muppet Babies''. Within eight years they had written almost 100 songs for the program, which won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, and has since been syndicated internationally. The collaboration continued after ''Muppet Babies'', as O'Day and Liebhart co-wrote for other children-focused projects, including

's ''

'', a series of videos which they helped produce and on which they also sang. They also worked on some children's products for Alaska Video. O'Day lived in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, to write and perform, and was also a musical and creative consultant. In 2012, he wrote and sang the title tune for the film, ''You Don't Say.''

Death

O'Day died on May 17, 2013, in Westwood, California after a battle with brain cancer. His interment was at

Coachella Valley Public Cemetery The Coachella Valley Public Cemetery is a cemetery in the Coachella Valley of California. It is near Indio and La Quinta. __NOTOC__ Notable interments Among those buried here are: * Frank Bogert (1910–2009), Westerns movie star and Mayor of ...

Coachella, California es, Ciudad de Coachella , nicknames = Coachello, La Coachelita and Cochela , image_skyline = Coachella City Hall.jpg , imagesize = 240px , image_caption = Coachella City Hall , image_flag ...

Awards

* " Angie Baby", US gold record * " Undercover Angel", US gold record * " Muppet Babies", nominated for an

* "

Parents' Choice Award The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...

* "Big Wave"

collaboration,

Gold Disk Award Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

, Japan

Discography

Albums

*1973: ''Songs by Alan O'Day (vol. 1)'' *1973'': Caress Me Pretty Music'' *1977: ''Appetizers'' *1979: ''Oh Johnny!'' *1994: ''Music from National Geographic's Really Wild Animals,'' (Janis Liebhart & Alan O'Day) *2001: ''Undercover Angel 2001'' (City Man Music, BMI, Warner/Chappell Music, ASCAP 634479217920) *2008: ''I Hear Voices''

Singles

*1964: "I Want a Girl for Xmas" (as Alan O'Day & the Knights) *1970: "Heavy Church" / "House on Sunrise Avenue" (co-produced by

Snuff Garrett Thomas Lesslie Garrett (July 5, 1938 – December 16, 2015) known as Snuff Garrett or Tommy Garrett, was an American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s. Early years Garrett was born in Dallas, Texas, United ...

) *1973: "Somewhere She Is Sleeping" (produced by Dallas Smith) *1977: " Undercover Angel" / "Just You" (#1 U.S., #1 CAN, #4 NZ, #9 AUS, #43 UK) *1978: "Started Out Dancing, Ended Up Making Love" / " Angie Baby" (#73 U.S., #39 NZ) *1978: "Soldier of Fortune" (#103 U.S.) *1978: "Satisfied" *1979: "Oh Johnny!" / "People Who Talk to Themselves" (#124 U.S.) *1980: "Skinny Girls" / "Oh Johnny!" (#11 AUS, #110 U.S.) (above six produced by

Steve Barri Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as " Dizzy" ...

) *2008: "I Hear Voices" *2012: "You Don't Say"

Credits

* "Theme from Eegah", 1961 (co-written and recorded by

Arch Hall Jr Arch Hall Jr. (born December 2, 1943) is an American former actor. Early career Born in Van Nuys, California, Hall began his career as a teen actor and musician, appearing in a number of early 1960s films that were all produced by his fathe ...

& the Archers) * "Wild Guitar", 1962 (co-written and recorded by

& the Archers) *"Yes I Will", 1962 (recorded by

& the Archers) *"Funky Funky Feelin", 1964 (recorded by

) *"No Top (Just a Suit)", 1964 co-written by Charlene Groman (recorded by

Danny Hamilton Daniel Robert Hamilton (June 1, 1946 – December 23, 1994) was an American musician and singer. He was a member of The T-Bones with his brother Judd Hamilton and later formed the soft-rock group Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, performing lead ...

) *"Back to Oklahoma", 1970 (recorded by

Ned Miller Henry Ned Miller (April 12, 1925 – March 18, 2016) was an American country music singer-songwriter. Active as a recording artist from 1956 to 1970, he is known primarily for his hit single "From a Jack to a King", a crossover hit in 1962 which ...

) *"Heavy Church", 1970 (recorded by

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup ...

and

Al Wilson Aldra Kauwa Wilson (born June 21, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and ...

) *"House on Sunrise Avenue", 1970 (recorded by

Bonnie Guitar Bonnie Buckingham (March 25, 1923 – January 13, 2019), better known as Bonnie Guitar, was an American singer, musician, producer, and businesswoman. She was best known for her 1957 country-pop crossover hit "Dark Moon". She became one of th ...

) *"Are You Old Enough", 1971 (recorded by

Mark Lindsay Mark Lindsay (born March 9, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders. Early life Lindsay was born in Eugene, Oregon, and was the second of eight children of George and Esther Ellis Lindsay. The ...

) *"Caress Me Pretty Music", 1971 (recorded by

David Clayton-Thomas David Clayton-Thomas (born David Henry Thomsett, 13 September 1941) is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the American band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Clayton-Thomas has been inducte ...

Susan Hart Susan Hart (born June 2, 1941) is an American actress, and the widow of American International Pictures (AIP) co-founder James H. Nicholson. Early years Before she became an actress, Hart worked for a telephone company in Palm Springs, managed ...

, Dewey Martin,

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

, Patrick Norman,

Tony Orlando & Dawn Tony Orlando and Dawn is an American pop music group that was popular in the 1970s, composed of singer Tony Orlando and the backing vocal group Dawn (Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson). Their signature hits include " Candida", "Knock Three ...

Lon Satton Lon Satton (born Alonzo Louis Lee Staton; February 11, 1927 – October 30, 2020) was an American singer and actor based in the United Kingdom. He is widely-known for originating the role of Poppa in the Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ''Starlight ...

, &

Foster Sylvers Foster Emerson Sylvers (born February 25, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for being a member of the family act The Sylvers and his hit single "Misdemeanor". Biography Foster ...

,) * "The Drum", 1971 (recorded by

), No. 29 U.S. (Other recordings by

Marti Caine Marti Caine, born Lynne Denise Shepherd (26 January 1945 – 4 November 1995), was an English comedian, actress, dancer, presenter, singer, and writer, who first came to national attention by winning the television talent show ''New Faces'' in 1 ...

Pete Fountain Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr. (July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016), known professionally as Pete Fountain, was an American jazz clarinetist. Early life and education LaFontaine was born to Pierre, Sr. and Madeline, in a small Creole cottage-style fr ...

Lill-Babs Barbro Margareta Svensson (9 March 1938 – 3 April 2018), known by her stage name Lill-Babs, was a Swedish singer, actress and television host. From the early 1950s until her death in 2018, she was one of Sweden's best-known and popular singers. ...

& the

Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies a ...

) *"Gifts", 1971 (recorded by Bells,

Tony Christie Anthony Fitzgerald (born 25 April 1943), known professionally as Tony Christie, is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his recording of "(Is This the Way To) Amarillo "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" is a song writt ...

Saori Minami (Real Name: Akemi Shinoyama (篠山明美), née, Akemi Uchima (内間明美); Christian Name: Cynthia) is a Japanese retired J-pop singer-songwriter. She was born in Okinawa on July 2, 1954. In the 1970s, and for a brief 6 years from 19911997 ...

as "Tonight I Chipped a Piece Off of the Sun") *"Good Time Song", 1971 co-written with

Artie Wayne Artie Wayne (born Wayne Kent, January 22, 1942 – February 19, 2019)

(recorded by

) *"You Better Start Singing Soon", 1971 (recorded by

Mike Clifford Mike Clifford, (born 5th November 1943), is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his 1962 pop hit, "Close To Cathy", which reached number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early life Mike Clifford was born in Los Angeles, C ...

) *"American Family", 1972 (recorded by

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. He has participated in thousands of recording sessions, recorde ...

, Raiders, & the Vogues) * "Easy Evil" 1972 (recorded by

Long John Baldry John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including t ...

,Sonny Bottari U.S. #139,

Captain & Tennille Captain & Tennille were American recording artists whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum ...

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

Coven A coven () is a group or gathering of witches. The word "coven" (from Anglo-Norman ''covent, cuvent'', from Old French ''covent'', from Latin ''conventum'' = convention) remained largely unused in English until 1921 when Margaret Murray promote ...

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwr ...

Friends of Distinction The Friends of Distinction were an American vocal group founded by Harry Elston and Floyd Butler, best known for their late 1960s hits, "Grazing in the Grass", "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", and "Going in Circles". Career The Friends of Distinction ...

Patsy Gallant Patricia Gallant (born August 15, 1948, in Campbellton, New Brunswick) is a Canadian pop singer and musical theatre actress. Of Acadian ancestry, she has recorded and performed in both English and French. Early life Patsy Gallant was one of ...

Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), best known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved success during the glam rock era of the 1970s and 1980s, and his career ended after he w ...

, Bobby Hart, Hedva & David,

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines, AM (born July 20, 1953), is an American-Australian vocalist and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical ''Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdalene ...

Mieko Hirota was a Japanese singer. Her nickname was Mico (also spelled ''Miko''). Hirota was born in Setagaya, Tokyo. She grew up listening to pop and jazz in places like Tachikawa, which was frequented by Occupation troops. She made her debut in 1961 at ag ...

, Walter Jackson, John Kay U.S. #92,

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

Lettermen The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contempor ...

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

New Birth Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

, Johnny Nicol,

Genya Ravan Genya Ravan, a.k.a. Goldie (born Genyusha Zelkovicz; April 19, 1940) is an American rock singer and music producer. She was lead singer of The Escorts, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and Ten Wheel Drive. Life and career Childhood Ravan was bo ...

Merl Saunders Merl Saunders (February 14, 1934 – October 24, 2008) was an American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards, favoring the Hammond B-3 console organ. Biography Born in San Mateo, California, United States, Saunders attended Polyte ...

, Marlena Shaw, Nancy Sinatra, Dusty Springfield, Sugarloaf (band), Sugarloaf, Sylvia (singer), Sylvia U.S. R&B #61,

, Sarah Vaughan, John Travolta, Travis Wammack U.S. #85 and Nancy Wilson (jazz singer), Nancy Wilson, among others) *"Spin Away", 1972 (recorded by

& Ted Neeley) *"Day Becomes Night", 1973 (recorded by

) *"Dirty Movies", 1973 (recorded by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, Flash Cadillac) *"Do Me Wrong, But Do Me", 1973 (recorded by Mel Carter, Chris Christian, Homo Sapiens (band), Homo-sapiens, Jack Jones (American singer), Jack Jones, Johnny Mathis, Megon McDonough, Megan McDonough, Julie Rogers, Wilma Reading & not-yet-released Barbra Streisand) * "Flashback", 1973 (recorded by The 5th Dimension, co-written with

Artie Wayne Artie Wayne (born Wayne Kent, January 22, 1942 – February 19, 2019)

, #82 US, #30 US AC, #75 US R&B, #60 Australia) (Other recordings by Paul Anka #100 U.S., Cilla Black, Blue Swede,

, Stein Ingebrigtsen, Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones, & Björn Skifs, Bjorn Skifs) *"Get It Off, Get It On", 1973 (recorded by

, produced by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton) *"Like A Main Theme", 1973 (recorded by Nana Mouskouri) *"Rubberene", 1973 co-written with Mat Camison & Maurice Vidalin (recorded by Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones) * " Angie Baby", 1974 (recorded by

), No. 1 U.S., produced by Joe Wissert. (Other recordings by Ray Conniff, Chelsea Cullen, Syd Dale, Barbara Dickson, Anne Lise Gjøstøl, Anne Lise Gjostel, George Greeley, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Hanne Krogh as "Rare Lina", :zh:黎明詩, Stephanie Lai as "Mo Wei Ai Shang Be!", Reg Livermore, Paul Mauriat, Pete Moore (composer), Pete Moore, Erick Sermon on "Hip Hop Radio", The Uncle Devil Show, Uncle Devil Show & Sylvie Vartan.) *"Every Man Wants Another Man's Woman", 1974 (recorded by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gene Redding & Sami Jo). *"Real Emotion", 1974 (recorded by

) * "

", 1974, co-written by Johnny Stevenson (recorded by

), No. 3 U.S., produced by Dennis Lambert, Eddie Lambert, and Brian Potter (musician), Brian Potter. (Other recordings by

No. 102 U.S. Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, Flash Cadillac, Sonny Geraci, Ricky May, Ronnie McDowell/Bill Medley/John Schneider (screen actor), John Schneider as "Country Heaven" and Zdravko Čolić, Zdravko Colic.) *"Rock 'n' Roll ABC's", 1974 (recorded by Freddy Cannon, Freddie Cannon No. 107 U.S.) * "Train of Thought (Cher song), Train of Thought", 1974 (recorded by

) – No. 18 U.S., No. 22 Canada, produced by

. (Other recordings by Gene Pitney, Steppenwolf (band), Steppenwolf & Sylvie Vartan, Sylvia Vartan) * "Annie Annie Over", 1975 (recorded by Steppenwolf (band), Steppenwolf) *"Blue Finger Lou", 1975 (recorded by

) (Also recorded by Vicki Brown, Bobby Edwards, Family Four, Don Most, Donny Most,

, Gro Anita Schønn, & Gro Anita Schonn, ) *"Catch My Breath", 1977 (recorded by

) *" Undercover Angel", 1977 (recorded by Leslie Cheung, Jürgen Drews, Jurgen Drews as "Unnahbarer Engel", Grethe Kausland, Pete Moore (composer), Pete Moore, Wess as "Se Non Fossi Matto", Kari Tapio as "Unten Enkelit" & Sylvie Vartan as "Mon Ciel de Lit".) *"Satisfied", 1978 (recorded by Mary MacGregor) *"Love at First Night", 1979 (recorded by Kim Hart, Australia Top 10, New Zealand Top 20) *"Every Night", 1980 (co-written and recorded by

) (Also recorded by Mariya Takeuchi) *"Dear Daisy", 1982 (recorded by Sonny Shroyer) *"I Love You Eyes", 1983 (recorded by Ray Price (musician), Ray Price) *"Talk Crazy to Me", 1983 co-written by Margaret Harris (recorded by Girl Talk (musical group), Girl Talk, Mie (singer), Mie & Pia Zadora) *"I Love You (Part 2), 1984 (co-written and recorded by

) (Also recorded by 14 Karat Soul) * "Jody", 1984 (co-written and recorded by

) (Also recorded by Jeffrey Foskett, & Kalapana (band), Kalapana) *"Magic Ways", 1984 (co-written and recorded by

) *"Only With You", 1984 (co-written and recorded by

) (Also recorded by Jeffrey Foskett) *"Theme from the Big Wave", 1984 (co-written and recorded by

) *"Your Eyes", 1984 (co-written and recorded by

) (Also recorded by Jun Fukamachi, Marilyn Martin, Bonnie Pink, Dianne Reeves, Diane Reeves,& Mariya Takeuchi,) *"Mermaid", 1985 (co-written and recorded by

) *"One Step Beyond", 1985 co-written by Steven A. Williams (recorded by Arashi & Shonentai) *"Hungry", 1986 co-written by K.A. Parker (recorded by Mie (singer), Mie & Priscilla Wright (singer), Priscilla Wright) *"Lady Blue", 1986 (co-written and recorded by

) (Also recorded by Tom Keane (musician), Tom Keane) *"Fish", 1987 co-written by

(recorded by Jeffrey Foskett) *"Replace the Face", 1987 (recorded by Dave Mason & Steppenwolf (band), Steppenwolf) *"Girl in White," 1988 (co-written and recorded by

) (Also recorded by 14 Karat Soul & Tom Keane (musician), Tom Keane) *"Love and Let Live" 1988 (recorded by Olivia Newton-John) *"Christmas Eve (English version)", 1991 (co-written and recorded by

) (Other recordings by All-4-One, All 4 One, Beni (singer), Beni, Commodores, Charlie Green (singer), Charlie Green, Eric Martin (musician), Eric Martin, Idina Menzel, Modern Folk Quartet & Pentatonix) *"Get Back in Love", 1992 co-written by

. (recorded by 14 Karat Soul) *"There's Only One Ariel" 1992 co-written by Janis Liebhart (recorded by Kath Soucie, Kath Souci/Aleta Braxton/Angie Jaree/Janis Liebart/Susie Stevens on The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea, Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea) *"Fragile", 1998 (co-written and recorded by

) (Interpolated by

in " Gone, Gone/Thank You" No. 79 Australia). *"Wangan Skier (Here We Go Now)", 1998 co-written by Tatsuro Yamashita (recorded by Shonentai), No. 15 Japan * "Love Can Go the Distance", 2000 (co-written and recorded by

), No. 18 Japan (Also recorded by Jeffrey Foskett) *"My Summer Love", 2005 co-written by Yoshiyuki Sahashi (recorded by Emi Fujita) *"Window Shopping", 2005 co-written by Seiji Kameda (recorded by Emi Fujita) * "Angel of the Light", 2008 (co-written and recorded by

), No. 4 Japan *"Shy Boy", 2008 (co-written and recorded by Ryan Laird) *"Elmo Didn't Mean To", 2011, co-written by Christine Ferraro & Janis Liebhart (Recorded by Elmo)

References

External links

* *
Interview With Alan O'Day
* Just Plain Folks, (1998)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oday, Alan 1940 births 2013 deaths American male singer-songwriters Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from brain tumor Singers from Los Angeles Singer-songwriters from California People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Burials at Coachella Valley Public Cemetery