Donald Randolph (born March 24, 1938, Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA - died January 30, 2015, Franklin Square, New York, USA) perhaps better known as
Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, blues and soul singer and songwriter. He initially sang in his family’s gospel quartet and then briefly joined the doo-wop group
The Rainbows. He was an important figure in the soul music explosion of the 1960’s as a writer and performer. His first big hit was
Pony Time by
Chubby Checker (1961) and he also wrote the
Aretha Franklin hits
See-Saw (co-written with
Steve Cropper) and
Chain Of Fools. His hit single Mercy, Mercy was an influence on, and covered, by
The Rolling Stones.