Dayton rock legend to be remembered
Dayton has produced its share of talented rock musicians. Sonny Flaharty, one of the first in the genre, passed away in Simi Valley, California on October 14, 2023. He was 81.
A celebration of life for the 1960 Fairmont High School graduate will take place at Sugarcreek Presbyterian Church in Kettering on Saturday, April 6. Memorabilia from Flaharty’s life will be on display and his recorded music will be played during the event.
Flaharty was 5 years old when he began performing professionally with his uncle, Jack Elliott. The youngster was performing rock ‘n’ roll as a solo artist a decade later. His regional 1958 hit, “My Baby’s Casual,” is in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He had a minor hit with the countryfied “Heartbreak
Station” (Epic Records) in 1960.
Flaharty’s best known track, “Hey Conductor,” was recorded with his band the Mark Five and released by Phillips Records in 1967. The single was banned from many radio stations for what was misconstrued as drug-related content but is now regarded as a garage rock classic.
Tony Peters from WSWO-FM (97.3), the low power oldies radio station in Huber Heights, is a Flaharty fan.
“I’ve tried to collect all of Sonny’s singles,” Peters said. “I’ve never seen an individual with records on so many labels. He (has) one on Decca, one on Warner, one on Epic. He’d (have) enough sales from whatever single that another label was willing to release something else.”
During his career in music and television, Flaharty worked with Bob Hope, the McGuire Sisters, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond and other notable artists.
“Sonny was the voice of Kenner Toys, which is crazy,” Peters said. “When he moved to Nashville, he and his buddy had a cable TV show called ‘Pappy and Dufus.’ It was like ‘Wayne’s World’ or ‘Beavis and Butthead.’ They made fun of videos as these country bumpkins and it got syndicated. Sonny was always doing things.
He wrote a song called ‘Save the Union Terminal,’ which Jerry Springer sang. I have that. It’s crazy, right? Sonny spent his whole life in the world of music or TV. In all the interviews I’ve done, I’ve never met another human being with so many near misses. It was ridiculous but he never got discouraged. He just kept plugging away.”
Flaharty retired from the entertainment business in the late 1990s and moved to California. He continued to sing and play in church and raise awareness for stray animals. He is survived by his wife, Kathy.