Drummond - Daddy Cool (1971)

(Frank Slay - Bob Crewe)
Australia
#2 Sydney #1 Melbourne #1 Brisbane #1 Adelaide #4 Perth #15 NZ

Single on Fable July 1971 that capitalised on the current success of another Australian band, Daddy Cool, who shared a name with this song and recorded their own version of it. Drummond’s single charted while Daddy Cool’s #1 single Eagle Rock was on the Australian charts.

Drummond were Adelaide trio Graeham Goble, Russ Johnson and John Mower, who had been members of the band Alison Gros. After the success of Daddy Cool, they recorded their own material and became better known as Mississippi, the band that later evolved into Little River Band (Reminiscing, 1978, #3 USA and nine other Top 40 US hits).

Further reading: The account by Beeb Birtles, another member of Mississippi and LRB, from his website [archived page].

Thanks to Leon Van Gestel for additional information.

Daddy Cool - Daddy Cool (1971)

(Frank Slay - Bob Crewe)
Australia
Influential version

Track on Daddy Cool’s album Daddy Who?, July 1971.

Wildly popular goodtime rock revivalists from Melbourne Daddy Cool created a classic with their own Eagle Rock, Australia’s #1 single of 1971. See also Baby Let Me Bang Your Box, Cherry Pie and I’ll Never Smile Again

Daddy Cool grew out of an informal 50s-styled band-within-the band of Sons Of The Vegetal Mother, the progressive band of Daddy Cool founders Ross Wilson and Ross Hannaford.

Further reading: 1. Daddy Cool history at Milesago. 2. DaddyCool.com.au

Thanks to Keith Glass.

The Reataz With The Satellites - Daddy Cool (1960)

(Frank Slay - Bob Crewe)
New Zealand

Single on Viking February 1960 by New Zealand female vocal trio The Reataz (Coralie Wilson, Claire Beale and Jan Jones).

Backing band The Satellites and The Reataz were part of the thriving late-50s to early-60s rockn’roll scene in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Both appeared at the legendary Starlight Ballroom in Anglesea Street, Hamilton.

See also Ivor Fisher With The Satellites – Lookie, Lookie, Lookie (1960)

Essential reading: 1. Andrew Smith’s Early Waikato and Hamilton rock and roll at AudioCulture.

The Diamonds - Daddy Cool (1957)

(Frank Slay - Bob Crewe)
USA

B-side on Mercury by popular Canadian vocal trio that built a successful career around reinterpreting rhythm & blues tracks for a mass audience.

This was a double-sided cover of The Rays’ single Silhouettes / Daddy Cool. The Diamonds’ Silhouettes charted #10 USA, but in this case the original by The Rays did better at #3.

The Rays - Daddy Cool (1957)

(Frank Slay - Bob Crewe)
USA
Original version

Single on Cameo, B-side of #3 USA single Silhouettes (also written by Slay-Crewe).

Both sides were covered on one 45 by The Diamonds and charted #10 USA.

Before he teamed with Bob Gaudio of the Four Seasons to steer that group’s chart-topping career, songwriter-producer-arranger Bob Crewe recorded under his own name and often wrote in partnership with Philadelphian pianist Frank Slay. He was also instrumental in launching the careers of Freddy Cannon, Diane Renay and Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels.

Essential listening: Ronnie Allen’s archived radio interview with Bob Crewe.
Further reading: Bob Crewe’s career has been long and wide-ranging, and well-documented. See, for example, the biography at All Music, written by Richie Unterberger.

Darts - Daddy Cool (1977)

(Frank Slay - Bob Crewe)
UK
Later version
#6 UK

Single on Magnet by British fifties revivalist band, produced by Tommy Boyce and Richard Hartley, engineered by Phil Chapman. This was the first studio track Darts ever recorded.

Thanks to Phil Chapman.

Daddy Cool [USA] - Daddy Cool, Daddy Cool (Daddy Cool, Cool, Cool) (1960)

(Ray Gluch - Gene D'Agostino)
USA
Red herring

1. Similar title to ‘Daddy Cool’ by Drummond but not the same song.
2. Not the same artist as Australian band Daddy Cool.

Single on Philadelphia label Dee #101 December 1960 by Guy Darrell (b. Dekrell?). Arranged by jazz pianist-composer Demon Spiro (James Weldon Lane).

It was re-released on Warwick in January 1961 with the artist name expanded to Guy ‘Daddy Cool’ Darrell as it was on his second single, on Dee #102 (1961). Both sides credited the same writers and arranger from the first single.

Listen at YouTube

A further red herring: In spite of several respectable sources, this is not British singer John Swail (1944-2013), usually billed as Guy Darrell, who started as a danceband vocalist, recorded a series of cover versions 1964-1967, and played in British pop or rock bands into the 70s.

The Dee tracks were recorded in Philadelphia by a singer whose real surname might have been Dekrell: see this comments thread at YouTube for a family connection. It is implausible that Guy Darrell, danceband singer from Kent, turning 17 around the time of the release, would have recorded these original American songs in Philadelphia more than three years before his recording career proper began.

Boney M - Daddy Cool (1977)

(Farian - Reyman)
Germany
Red herring
#6 UK #2 Sydney #8 Melbourne #11 Brisbane #30 Adelaide #4 Perth #15 NZ

Same title but not the same song as ‘Daddy Cool’ by Drummond.

Co-charted with version by Tahiti in Brisbane

Tahiti - Daddy Cool (1977)

(Farian - Reyman)
Red herring
#11 Brisbane