From:   "Dik de Heer" <
Date:  Fri Feb 8, 2002  1:14 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Pappy Daily
 
PAPPY DAILY (By Shaun Mather)

Born Harold Westcott Daily, 8 February 1902, Yoakum, Texas
Died 5 December 1987, Houston, Texas

Although he spent about 40 years in the music business, it's the time he
spent with George Jones in the 50's and 60's, and his involvement in the
great Starday label for which Pappy Daily will be remembered. The label
is much loved by rockabilly fans, as it provided some of the best in raw
Texas rockabilly sounds from a battalion of little known rockers.
Daily spent World War I fighting in the Marine Corps, being voted the
Commander of the American Legion during 1931 and 1932. Back in
civilisation, he worked in the country music industry. In Beaumont, Texas
in 1953, with his partner, Jack Starnes, he founded Starday Records, and
started to record some of the local country artists. The label's first hit
came the following year with Arlie Duff's You All Come, followed a year
later by Why, Baby, Why, courtesy of new signing George Jones. Don Pierce
joined the label and soon afterwards Starnes left. Before long they formed
subsidiary labels, Dixie and D, and even hooked up with the Mercury label.
For one or other of the labels, Daily worked with such rockers as Link
Wray, Rudy Grayzell, Groovey Joe Poovey and even Corky Jones (Buck Owens).
His success with George Jones continued unabated, and he was also involved
with Lattie Moore, James O'Gwynn and Eddie Noack. In 1961, Daily and
Pierce split up, with Pierce taking over Starday and Daily receiving the
publishing division; both received half of the label's master recordings and
catalogue. After Pappy joined United Artists, he was followed by George
Jones, and the Top Ten records continued. In '65, Daily left UA and folded
D, turning to Musicor, a label he had founded four years earlier with Art
Talmadge. As well as Jones, the label included Gene Pitney and Floyd Tilman,
but by the beginning of the next decade, Pitney had quit and Jones had moved
to Epic Records. Apart from reissuing earlier George Jones product, the
label had lost it's impetus and by the mid-70's, Daily had retired from the
business.