Artist:Bill Hayes
Song:The Ballad of Davy Crockett
Album:Then: 1956
Bill Hayes' recording of The Ballad of Davy Crockett topped the charts for five weeks in 1955. Though it was Hayes' only big hit, one of his other songs charted so he is not a one hit wonder. Hayes is more successful as an actor especially in the daytime soap Days of Our Lives. He was born June 5, 1925 in Harvey, IL. He was training to be a fighter pilot in the Navy Air Corps during WWII. But the war ended before he could fly a mission. After the war, Hayes earned a degree in music at DePauw University. Hayes became a semi regular on the popular variety show Your Show of Shows. He signed with MGM Records and after a few unsuccessful singles, Hayes switched to Cadence Records. After the Davy Crockett series appeared on the ABC show Disneyland, Cadence owner Archie Bleyer called Hayes to see if he was interested in recording the song. It was recorded the next day and it topped the charts for five weeks. The song also charted for Davy Crockett star Fess Parker and Tennessee Ernie Ford. But Hayes' recording was a bigger hit probably because it was released first. After leaving Cadence in 1957, Hayes recorded for ABC-Paramount, London, Sparton and Kapp. But he was never able to recreate the success of The Ballad of Davy Crockett. Hayes continued to appear on TV variety shows until he originated the role of Doug Williams on the NBC daytime soap Days of Our Lives in 1970. He even married his co-star Susan Seaforth in 1974. They were quite the celebrity couple at the time. Hayes still appears on Days of Our Lives. So he is a big deal to soap fans. Here's a video for The Ballad of Davy Crockett by Bill Hayes.
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