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Biography
Refimprove|date=December 2008Infobox musical artist | name = Jay and the Americans| image = Americans2008.JPG| alt =| caption = Jay and the Americans backstage at Massillon, Ohio , in August, 2008. L-R Sandy Deanne, Jay Reincke, Marty Sanders, Howie Kane| image_size =| landscape = yes| background = group_or_band| alias = Chapter Four| origin = Belle Harbor, Queens , New York , United States|U.S. | genre = Rock music|Rock , blue eyed soul | years_active = 1960–1973 2006–present| label = United Artists Records | associated_acts = Kenny Vance and The Planotones , Steely Dan , The Tuneful Trolley| website = http://jayandtheamericans.net/ jayandtheamericans.net| current_members = Jay Reincke Sandy Deanne Howie Kane Marty Sanders| past_members = Kenny Vance John "Jay" Traynor Jay Black Jay and the Americans was a pop music group popular in the 1960s. Their initial lineup consisted of John "Jay" Traynor , Howard Kane ( Married and maiden names|né Kirschenbaum), Kenny Vance (né Rosenberg) and Sandy Deanne (né Yaguda), though their greatest success on the Billboard magazine|charts came after Traynor had been replaced as lead singer by Jay Black .
Biography
Early years
They were discovered while performing in student venues at New York University in the late 1950s. They auditioned for Leiber and Stoller , who gave the group its name. In the manner of the time, Leiber and Stoller wanted to extend this to "Binky Jones and the Americans," but Traynor declined to be known as Binky Jones his whole career. He instead offered up "Jay," a family nickname, and it suited everyone.
Career pinnacle
With Jay Traynor singing lead, they first hit the Billboard magazine|Billboard charts in 1962 with the tune " She Cried ," which reached #5 (later covered by The Shangri-Las , Aerosmith , and others). The next two singles didn't fare nearly as well, and Traynor left the group. Jay's solo singles made little impression, but one, "Up And Over" issued on ABC in 1966 since became Northern Soul classic. Empires' guitarist Marty Sanders (né Kupersmith)joined the group. He brought David Black (né Blatt) of "The Empires" in to take Traynor's place (after David first agreed to adopt the name Jay Black ), and Black sang lead for the rest of the group's major hits.
They returned to the charts in 1963 with "Only In America," a song originally meant for The Drifters . Other notable hits for Jay and the Americans were " Come a Little Bit Closer " in 1964, which hit #3, and " Cara Mia " in 1965, which hit #4. They also recorded a commercial for H.I.S. Slacks and a public service announcement for the Ad Council , featuring a backing track by Brian Wilson and Phil Spector . Two tracks from this era later found favour with the Northern Soul crowd: "Got Hung Up Along The Way" and "Living Above Your Head".
In 1968, they recorded an album of their favorite oldies called Sands of Time (Jay and the Americans album)|Sands of Time , which included " This Magic Moment ," which was originally done by the Drifters. The single went to #9 in January 1969. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in May 1969.cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 242 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 "This Magic Moment" was the last top ten record for Jay and the Americans, although a follow-up album, Wax Museum , in January 1970, did yield the #19 hit single " Walking in the Rain (The Ronettes song)|Walkin' In The Rain ," first recorded by The Ronettes . Their next singles failed to chart, and the band grew apart, but the demand for appearances remained. (Around the same time the band recorded "This Magic Moment," Jay and the Americans member Sandy Yaguda produced a Long Island teen sextet called The Tuneful Trolley. Their late-1968 Capitol LP, Island In The Sky — a hybrid of Beach Boys and Beatlesque psych-pop—was reissued in 2008 in the UK on Now Sounds.)
Decline
The group split in 1973. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/07/ap/entertainment/mainD8LRNSVG0.shtml dead link|date=January 2012 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." Black continued until the 1980s with a variety of musicians, at one point briefly including the young Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (of later Steely Dan fame) on backup bass guitar and electric organ. The original core group reunited in the 1990s for special performances, most notably the 45 Years of Motown special on PBS . Jay was featured in the PBS special Rock, Rhythm, and Doo Wop as "Jay Black & The Americans" in 2001.
The version of "Cara Mia" went to #1 in Holland when it was re-released in 1980. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php? id=2249
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 band mate and original member of Jay & The Americans for $100,000 to pay Black's debts. 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. Their show covers the history of Jay and The Americans, acknowledging all three Jays and featuring all of the top hits in their original arrangements.
David Blatt still tours under his stage name, "Jay Black". Kenny Vance is currently the lead singer of Kenny Vance and the Planotones ,cite web|url= http://www.planotones.com/ |title=planotones.com |publisher=planotones.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-05 a neo- doo wop band that he formed in the 1970s. After leaving the group, John "Jay" Traynor|John Traynor recorded a handful of songs on the Coral label, including "I Rise, I Fall" in 1964. None were hits, but "I Rise, I Fall" became a minor hit for Johnny Tillotson. The label billed Traynor as "JAY formerly of Jay and the Americans." Traynor now tours with Jay Siegel's The Tokens|Tokens .cite web|author= |url= http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9KYYvJuDHEo |title=Jay Siegel talks about being sued by Phil & Mitch Margo of THE TOKENS ("The Lion Sleeps Tonight") |publisher=YouTube |date=2010-09-17 |accessdate=2012-01-05
Awards and recognition
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Discography w/Billboard (BB) and Cashbox (CB) chart peak positions
Hit Singles
She Cried (BB #5, CB #4)/ Dawning—United Artists 415—1962
Only In America (BB #25, CB #28) / My Clair De Lune—United Artists 626—1963
Come Dance With Me (BB #76, CB #82) / Look In My Eyes Maria—United Artists 669—1963
Come A Little Bit Closer (BB #3, CB #4) / Goodbye Boys, Goodbye—United Artists 759—1964
Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key) (BB #11, CB #10) / I'll Remember You—United Artists 805—1965
Think Of The Good Times (BB #57, CB #54) / If You Were Mine, Girl—United Artists 845—1965
Cara Mia (BB #4, CB #4) / When It's All Over—United Artists 881—1965
Wax Museum, Volume 2 -- United Artists UAS-6751—1970
Capture The Moment—United Artists UAS-6762—1970
The Very Best of Jay & The Americans—United Artists UA-LA357-E -- 1975
Jay & The Americans Greatest Hits—United Artists LM-1010—1980
:: Reissue of original 1965 compilation, also released in 1981 on Liberty with same catalogue number
Sweeter than Wine recorded and released in 2009
'Til the End of Time recorded and released in 2009
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.jayblackthevoice.com/ Jay Black's website
http://worldjournal-gs.blogspot.com/2007/03/first-jay-and-americans.html Jay Traynor and the Americans article
http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/jay_americans.html 'Jay and The Americans' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
http://www.history-of-rock.com/jay_and_the_americans.htm History of Jay and the Americans
http://www.srv.net/~roxtar/jay_& _the_americans.html Descriptions of and lyrics for the songs on the best-of compilation album Come a Little Bit Closer
DEFAULTSORT:Jay And The Americans Category:American rock music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1960
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