Background
He was born in Dallas, Texas, and moved to New York City in 1951, attempting to find work as a songwriter.
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Frank Slay
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As a producer, his biggest hit was "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock. In 1957 he and Crewe wrote "Silhouettes" and "Daddy Cool" for the Rays. Initially released on the XYZ label set up by Slay and Crewe, "Silhouettes" became a top ten popular hit in the United States for both the Rays (#3) and the Diamonds (#10), and was re-recorded successfully by Herman"s Hermits in 1965 (#5 United States, #3 United Kingdom). and Cliff Richard in 1990 (#10 United Kingdom).
The song "Daddy Cool" – originally on the B-side of the Rays" single – became a #6 hit in the United Kingdom in 1977 for Darts.
Slay and Crewe also wrote hits for Billy & Lillie, including "Louisiana Dee Dah" (covered in the United Kingdom by Jackie Dennis), and Freddy Cannon, for whom "Tallahassee Lassie" became a top ten hit in 1959. In 1961, Slay moved to Philadelphia to become A&R Director for Swan Records, Cannon"s record label.
As well as producing many of Freddy Cannon"s records, he also had a minor hit under his own name in late 1961, "Flying Circle", an instrumental adaptation of the traditional song "Hava Nagila", which reached #45 on the Billboard popular chart credited to Frank Slay and his Orchestra. Slay moved back to New York around 1963, and then to Los Los Angeles
He worked as an independent producer, and in 1967 produced "Incense and Peppermints", a United States #1 hit for Strawberry Alarm Clock.
He also set up Claridge Records.in 1965, and in 1974 the label had a United States hit with "Don"t Call Us, We"ll Call You" by Sugarloaf, a record described by Slay as "probably. the last top ten record on Billboard by a truly independent record company."
Slay remained active in the music industry, and currently lives in San Diego, California.
