Ronny & The Daytonas

The early 1960s hot rod and surfing phenomenon received its most notable Nashville representation through Ronny & the Daytonas. Built around singer-guitarist-songwriter John "Bucky" Wilkin, whose mother was country composer Marijohn Wilkin—best known for penning "Long Black Veil" and "One Day at a Time"—the group reached its peak with the debut single "G.T.O.," which Wilkin himself wrote. He composed the track during a high-school physics class in his senior year; his mother then arranged a publishing contract and booked a session with Nashville producer Bill Justis, a former Sun Records session musician. Justis recorded the number with local rock-oriented session players and asked Wilkin to invent a band name for the release, resulting in Wilkin adopting the persona Ronny Dayton while the unnamed musicians were billed as the Daytonas. The single climbed to number four on the national charts, prompting the quick assembly of a full album in roughly two weeks with essentially the same musicians. Wilkin showed minimal interest in live performance; after briefly leading an ad-hoc lineup for a handful of engagements that included a USO tour, he instead assembled a substitute unit to fulfill remaining dates. Following that tour, Buzz Cason became a member and Wilkin’s primary songwriting collaborator. The group departed from its earlier Beach Boys-styled hot rod and surf material with the second hit, the ballad "Sandy." A subsequent album that delved into the band’s ballad-oriented side was tracked in Germany with Cason and an array of session musicians, including a complete string section—an uncommon choice for a rock & roll release at the time. Hit records soon ceased, yet the group still enjoyed modest success after signing with RCA Victor, after which Wilkin departed to launch a solo career that produced albums on United Artists and Liberty. He continues to perform on the oldies circuit.