Margie Day

Margie Day, born Margaret Hoffler, established herself during the 1950s as a forceful R&B singer whose bold and unrestrained style stood out. Serving as the principal vocalist with the Griffin Brothers Orchestra, she placed two singles inside the R&B Top Ten from 1950 into 1951, applying her energetic phrasing to “Street-Walkin’ Daddy” and the Willie Dixon-penned “Little Red Rooster.” Motivated by that visibility, she departed the Griffin Brothers Orchestra for a short stint alongside Paul Williams’ band. By the close of 1952 she had joined the Floyd Dixon Combo, traveling with the group across the Midwest. After declaring her retirement in 1964, Day settled back in her native Norfolk, Virginia. Persuaded to resume performing, she became part of the Dick Morgan Trio during the late 1960s and cut an album consisting of jazz standards. The resurgence proved brief; a serious illness prompted her permanent withdrawal from music in 1969.