Background
Seay grew up in Atlanta, and had his first major break in 1957 by winning a state talent show (whose runner-up was Bill Anderson).
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Johnny Seay
Edit ProfileCareer
His first hits came in the late 1950s, and his career saw a resurgence in the mid-1960s, particularly with the release of his spoken word single "Day Foreign Decision". As a result of this he was offered a recording contract as well as the opportunity to appear on Louisiana Hayride and The Grand Ole Opry. In 1959, he scored a hit on the country charts with "Frankie"s Manitoba Johnny", and had a second in 1960 with "Nobody"s Darling but Mine".
Both his early hits were on National Research Council Records.
After these hits he moved westward to become a cowboy. In 1964 he began recording again and his songs, "My Baby Walks All Over Maine" and "My Old Faded Rose", became country chart successes.
Signing with Warner Brothers Records in 1966, he released the song "Day Foreign Decision" which featured a background chorus singing "America".
The recording was a country success and also peaked at Number.
Its accompanying album, which was a minor chart success, featured renditions of several popular patriotic tunes. After 1967, he began recording under his given name Johnny Seay again, and had two more country hits for Columbia Records, "Goin" to Tulsa" and "Three Six Packs, Two Arms and a Juke Box". His 1968 (released in 1970) song "Willie"s Drunk and Nellie"s Dyin"" were about his real-life neighbors Willie and Nellie New York
After the song"s release, the family was profiled in Life Magazine (July 17, 1970).
Following his second rise to stardom, Seay returned to the life of a cowboy, moving to Justiceburg, Texas.
