Jay and the Americans
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Jay and the Americans | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | The Harborlites, Chapter Four |
Origin | Belle Harbor, Queens, New York, United States |
Genres | Pop rock[1] |
Years active | 1960–1973, 2006–present |
Labels | United Artists |
Members |
|
Past members | |
Website | jayandtheamericans.net |
Jay and the Americans are an American
Biography
Early years
Originally called The Harborlites, they were discovered while performing in student venues at
Career pinnacle
Soon they signed with United Artists Records. With Jay Traynor singing lead, they first hit the
They recorded "Only in America", a song originally meant for
In 1966, the group was featured in the
In 1969, they recorded an album of their favorite oldies called
Split
The group split in 1973. All of the members moved on to solo musical careers, with the exception of Jay Black, who continued to perform as "Jay and the Americans",[6] using a variety of musicians. The original version of "Cara Mia" went to #1 in the Netherlands when it was re-released in 1980.[7] In 1991 EMI released the material on CD for the first time with the collection Come A Little Bit Closer.[8]
In 2001, he was featured in the PBS special Rock, Rhythm, and Doo Wop as "Jay Black & The Americans".
Sale of the band name and "reunion"
In 2006, Jay Black filed for bankruptcy due to gambling debts, and his ownership of the name "Jay & The Americans" was sold by the bankruptcy trustee to Sandy Deanne (Yaguda), Black's former bandmate and original member of Jay & The Americans, for $100,000. With the name purchase, former members Deanne, Howard Kane, and Marty Sanders reunited, and recruited a sound-alike singer from Chicago, coincidentally nicknamed "Jay." Thus, John "Jay" Reincke became the third "Jay" and the band returned to playing both national and international music venues.[9]
Until 2017, David Blatt continued to tour under his stage name, "Jay Black".
Black died on October 22, 2021, from complications of pneumonia and dementia. In a statement, Jay and the Americans acknowledged that Black and the rest of the group had experienced "both wonderful and very contentious times" but that they respected the success that they achieved with Black as their lead singer.[14]
Awards and recognition
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.[15]
Members
Current members
- Sandy Deanne – vocals (1960–1973, 2006–present)
- Marty Sanders – guitar, vocals (1962–1973, 2006–present)
- Jay Reincke – lead vocals (2006–present)
- Rick Van Horn – drummer (2013–present)
Former members
- Kenny Vance – vocals (1960–1973)
- Jay Traynor – lead vocals (1960–1962; died 2014)
- Howard Kane – vocals (1960–1973, 2006–2023; his death)
- Jay Black – lead vocals (1962–2006; died 2021)[5]
- Brian Cano – drums (1969–2007)
Discography
Albums
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record Label | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US 200 [16] |
US CB |
CAN RPM | |||
1962 | She Cried | — | — | — | United Artists Records |
1962 | At the Cafe Wha? (Live Album) | — | — | — | |
1964 | Come a Little Bit Closer | 131 | 88 | — | |
1965 | Blockbusters | 113 | 73 | — | |
1966 | Sunday and Me | 141 | — | — | |
Livin' Above Your Head | — | — | — | ||
1967 | Try Some of This! | — | — | — | |
1969 | Sands of Time | 51 | 30 | 47 | |
1970 | Wax Museum | 105 | 68 | 71 | |
Wax Museum, Vol. 2 | — | — | — | ||
Capture the Moment | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Compilation albums
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record Label | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US 200 [16] |
US CB | ||||
1965 | Jay & the Americans Greatest Hits | 21 | 58 | United Artists Records | |
1966 | Jay & the Americans Greatest Hits, Volume 2 | — | — | ||
1968 | Jay & the Americans!! | — | — | Sunset Records | |
1969 | Early American Hits | — | — | ||
1991 | Come a Little Bit Closer: The Best of Jay and the Americans | — | — | EMI Records | |
1997 | Masterworks 1961-1971 (3 CDs) | — | — | United American Records | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Singles
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | B-side From same album as A-side except where indicated |
Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [17] |
US AC |
US CB |
CAN RPM [18] | ||||||||
1961 | " Tonight "
|
120 | — | — | — | "The Other Girls" | She Cried | ||||
1962 | "She Cried" | 5 | — | 44 | — | "Dawning" | |||||
"This Is It" | 109 | — | 83 | — | "It's My Turn to Cry" (Non-LP track) | Come a Little Bit Closer | |||||
"Yes" | — | — | — | — | "Tomorrow" (from Come a Little Bit Closer) | She Cried | |||||
1963 | "What's the Use" | — | — | — | — | "Strangers Tomorrow" | Come a Little Bit Closer | ||||
"Only in America" | 25 | — | 28 | — | "My Clair de Lune" (from She Cried) | ||||||
"Come Dance with Me" | 76 | — | 82 | — | "Look in My Eyes Maria" | ||||||
1964 | "To Wait for Love" | — | — | — | — | "Friday" | |||||
"Come a Little Bit Closer" | 3 | — | 4 | 1 | "Goodbye Boys, Goodbye" | ||||||
"Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)" | 11 | — | 10 | 9 | "I'll Remember You" (from Livin' Above Your Head) | Blockbusters | |||||
1965 | "Think of the Good Times" | 57 | — | 54 | 31 | "If You Were Mine, Girl" | |||||
"Cara Mia" | 4 | — | 4 | 1 | "When It's All Over" (Billboard #129) | ||||||
"Some Enchanted Evening" | 13 | — | 15 | 5 | "Girl" | Jay & the Americans Greatest Hits! | |||||
"Sunday and Me" | 18 | — | 20 | 6 | "Through This Doorway" (from Jay & the Americans Greatest Hits!) | Sunday and Me | |||||
1966 | "Why Can't You Bring Me Home" | 63 | — | 55 | 16 | "Baby Stop Your Cryin'" | |||||
"Crying" | 25 | — | 32 | 33 | "I Don't Need a Friend" | ||||||
"Livin' Above Your Head" | 76 | — | 78 | 38 | "Look at Me, What Do You See" | Livin' Above Your Head | |||||
"(He's) Raining in My Sunshine" | 90 | — | 62 | 60 | "The Reason for Living (For You My Darling)" (from Livin' Above Your Head) |
Try Some of This! | |||||
1967 | "You Ain't as Hip as All That Baby" | — | — | — | — | "Nature Boy" | |||||
"(We'll Meet in The) Yellow Forest" | 131 | — | 93 | 75 | "Got Hung Up Along the Way" | Non-LP tracks | |||||
"French Provincial" | — | — | — | — | "Shanghai Noodle Factory" | ||||||
1968 | "No Other Love" | 114 | — | 119 | — | "No, I Don't Know Her" (from Capture the Moment) | |||||
"You Ain't Gonna Wake Up Cryin'" | — | — | — | — | "Gemini (Don't You Ever Wonder Why)" | ||||||
"This Magic Moment" | 6 | 11 | 5 | 1 | "Since I Don't Have You" | Sands of Time | |||||
1969 | "When You Dance" | 70 | — | 41 | 40 | "No, I Don't Know Her" (from Capture The Moment) | |||||
"Hushabye" | 62 | 31 | 45 | 42 | "Gypsy Woman" | ||||||
"(I'd Kill) For the Love of a Lady" | — | — | 113 | — | "Learnin' How to Fly" | Capture the Moment | |||||
"Walkin' in the Rain" | 19 | 8 | 14 | 17 | "For the Love of a Lady" (from Capture the Moment) | Wax Museum, Vol. 1
| |||||
1970 | "Capture the Moment" | 57 | 32 | 45 | 41 | "Do You Ever Think of Me" (Non-LP track) | Capture the Moment | ||||
"Do I Love You?" | — | — | 123 | — | "Tricia (Tell Your Daddy)" (from Capture the Moment) | Wax Museum, Vol. 1 | |||||
1971 | "There Goes My Baby" | 90 | — | — | — | "Solitary Man" | Non-LP tracks | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
References
- ^ "Jay & the Americans | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ "Doo-Wop Voices: Aaron Neville and Kenny Vance". American Routes. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (October 23, 2021). "Jay Black, Jay and the Americans Singer, Dead at 82". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Long, Colleen (December 7, 2006). "Singer Jay Black Wins Right to Own Name". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "Cara Mia by Jay & the Americans Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ^ Clarke, Jeremy (March 5, 1991). "Come A Little Bit Closer review". Q Magazine. 55: 91.
- ^ "Here Comes a Classic! Jay (No. 3) and the Americans to Sing at Suffolk Theater Saturday". Dan's Papers.
- ^ "How Jay Black Got Kicked Out of Yeshiva". Forward.com. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ "Kenny Vance and The Planotones". Planotones.com. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
- ^ "Jay Siegel talks about being sued by Phil & Mitch Margo of THE TOKENS ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight")". YouTube. September 17, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2012.[dead YouTube link]
- ^ "Former singer, WNYT employee Jay Traynor dies". Albany, New York: WNYT-TV. January 2, 2014. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (October 23, 2021). "Jay Black, Jay and the Americans Singer, Dead at 82". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ https://vocalgroup.org/album_category/2002-inductee/?events=next
- ^ a b "Jay & the Americans - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Results: RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
External links
- Jay Black's website Archived February 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Jay and the Americans website
- 'Jay and The Americans' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
- History of Jay and the Americans
- Descriptions of and lyrics for the songs on the best-of compilation Come a Little Bit Closer
- Jay and the Americans discography at Discogs
- Jay and the Americans at IMDb
- Singing "Two of a Kind" in Wild Wild Winter