Such sad news about Jay Black … he had been in failing health for some time now. His whole life was tied to his voice and (much like some of the conversations we’ve had here recently) when he came to the conclusion that he could no longer hit those notes, he called it a career. Sadly for him, that moment of realization came while he was onstage performing. Still, to be able to maintain the breathing techniques and vocal power well into his 70’s is no small feat … nor is being able to hit and hold those incredible notes. He will be missed. (kk)
Jay Black has died at age 82 … fabulous voice and a very funny man.
I was at his last show four years ago at Mohegan Sun … it was
a Bowzer show.
Jay should never have done it. He hadn’t performed in a year and his failing
health impacted his voice for the first time.
He apologized to the crowd for not being able to hit some of the high
notes.
Tom Cuddy
Certainly NOT the way he would have
liked to have gone out, which lead me back to my point over the past few weeks
as to what kind of lasting memory do you want to leave your fans with. Show Business is and has always been a fickle
business … you’re only as good as your last hit … and in Jay’s case, that was a
long, long time ago. (I still have to
laugh every time I think about Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams announcing on
stage, “We’d like to do our most recent Top 20 Hit” … and then performing
“Susan” from 1968!!! Lol)
Jay Black has every right to be
proud of his performance legacy. His personal
life have have been a train wreck (and it sounds like it was, based on many of
the things I’ve heard and read over the years), but man, the guy could sing …
like nobody else. (kk)
Some more info on Jay Black …
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jay-black-singer-jay-americans-235611578.html
I'm quite sure that some of this is flat out
wrong -
Jay and the Americans didn't form in the 1950's
with Jay Black ...
Jay Black replaced Jay Traynor AFTER the group
had their first hit in 1962 with "She Cried" ...
And I have absolutely NO knowledge of Jay and
the Americans ever opening for The Beatles ...
And certainly not at their first concert in
America ...
That distinction belongs to The Caravelles and
Tommy Roe.
I’m not so sure I'd trust running the link to
this one. (kk)
I agree with you. You would think Spin Magazine would be a
more credible source.
TC
And then …
Here’s the
Hollywood Reporter ...
It appears
his family put out a release, including the Beatles mention
Rolling
Stone also states that Jay opened for the Beatles in DC.
I guess I’ve been wrong for all these years! (At least The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling
Stone got the part right about Jay Traynor!!!)
lol
Kent: This story says Jay and the Americans were with Tommy Roe as opening
acts.
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1964/02/11/live-washington-coliseum/
I probably trust The Beatles Bible more than any
other source … especially since they had this information documented BEFORE Jay
Black passed away. (Ironically, THIS
account doesn’t mention The Caravelles as being part of the show … but I’ve
read interviews with these girls before talking about the show. They were hot at the time with “You Don’t
Have To Be A Baby To Cry.”) kk
And then, of course, there’s this 2008
interview with Jay Black sent in by FH Reader Frank B … talking about his
upcoming show on November 1st in Westbury, where he’d be performing
on what would be his then 70th birthday …
kk …
Jay jokes about death ... and even Jay has a
Beatles story to tell.
FB
Lots of talk about Jay
and the Americans opening for The Beatles at their first US show in Washington,
DC back in February of 1964 … something I wasn’t aware of. (I only knew of The Caravelles and Tommy Roe
opening for The Beatles. For some
reason, I recall that either The Crystals or The Chiffons were supposed to be there, too … but they
had to cancel for some reason … a snow storm perhaps (???)
But even in Jay’s interview, he talks about being there opening for The Beatles, along with The Righteous Brothers (who I also wasn’t aware of being there!) I have had a video tape of this concert for decades now and don’t recall EVER hearing anything about anyone other than Tommy Roe and The Caravelles being there that day. (The Beatles, of course, were on the Tommy Roe / Chris Montez show in England the year before … so I also heard that they hand-picked Tommy to open for their first show here in the US.) Tommy has told us the story about how he wrote his big hit “Everybody” on John Lennon’s guitar when he hung out behind in the truck while the others ran in to get something to eat.
I asked him about the
bill that incredible night of February 11, 1964 …
And was quite surprised to see that, due to the circumstances surrounding this event, even a guy who was THERE that night isn't exactly sure as to what transpired ...
Hi Kent ...
First, I send my condolences to the family and friends of Jay Black. Big voice, very talented. RIP.
A Poster of February 11, 1964, The Beatles' First American concert, is hanging on my Wall of Fame.
T.
Amazing! Thanks, Tommy! (Well, if nothing else, this shows us who was SUPPOSED to be there. How or why they would have booked additional acts ... or even had the time to do so in the midst of this massive winter storm ... is beyond me ... so it is now our mission in life to find out exactly what really happened that night!!!) kk
Be sure to check out our interview with Tommy Roe from a few years ago ...
Forgotten Hits - Forgotten Hits Interviews Tommy Roe
Jay and the Americans
posted this notice on their website regarding Jay Black’s passing …
“Today, we mourn the passing of David
Blatt a/k/a Jay Black, and we acknowledge the great successes we had with him
both as a partner and as a lead singer. We shared both wonderful and very
contentious times and, much like an ex-wife, we are so proud of the beautiful
children we created. We’ll always remember The Voice.”
COUSIN BRUCIE x 2:
kk …
Kenny Vance Talked To Cousin Brucie About Jay
Black.
Kenny Said That Jay Heard David Whitfield Sing
"CARA MIA" On The Ed Sullivan Show. Right Away Jay Said That He
Wanted To Record It. Everybody Thought He Was Crazy. Early On, They Were
Produced By Lieber & Stoller. They
Dropped The Group, Thinking There Was Nothing There.
Of Course, Today Kenny Vance And The
Planotones Are Very Popular.
Kenny Was An original Member Of The Harbor
Lights -- Who Became Jay And The Americans.
The Group Recorded "ONLY IN AMERICA” When
The Drifters Passed On It.
Cousin Brucie Also Talked To Robert Jaramillo,
Original Member Of Cannibal And The Headhunters.
In 1964, They Toured With The Beatles. Robert
Said That Everybody Forgets They Also Opened For The Rolling Stones On May 7,
1965.
Kent - You Should Ask Me, “Frank, What
About That Name?”
Okay , I'll Tell You.
Their Lead Singer, The Late Frankie Garcia,
Got In A Fight When He was 15 Years Old And Bit The Other Guy’s Ear Off … Thus,
Cannibal And The Headhunters.
Their Big Hit Was The Chris Kenner Song "LAND
OF 1000 DANCES." Robert Told Us That Originally They Sang It Without The
"NA NA NA NA." One Night While Singing The Song, The Mic Broke.
Next Night They Were Getting Requests For That "NA NA NA NA” Song. They Didn't Know What The Audience Was
Talking About.
Pretty Interesting For A One Hit Wonder Group
... And They're Still Around, Recently Doing Shows At The Greek Theatre On The
West Coast And An Upstate New York Casino On The East Coast. They're Currently Booking Shows For Next
Year.
Frank B.
Looking For An Echo - Kenny Vance – YouTube …
kk …
What Every Street Corner Group Was Looking
For
FB
Cannibal & The Headhunters - Land Of 1000 Dances – YouTube
kk:
I Haven't Thought About This Song In A Long
Time.
I Think They Were On The Lost Murray The K
Special.
FB
Cannibal and the Headhunters bested Chris Kenner’s version of “Land of 1000 Dances,” taking it to #30 compared to Chris’ #77 showing.
However, the REAL hit
version of this song belonged to Wilson Pickett, whose hit record went all the
way to #6. Thee Midniters, Electric
Indian and The J. Geils Band also scored Hot 100 Hits with this tune ... not
bad for a “Na Na” song that predated both “Hey Jude” and Steam’s “Na Na, Hey
Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye.” (Amazing what
you can do with a nonsense lyric!
Songwriters often fill in their missing lyrics with “na-na’s” as space
holders until they can come up with the proper words to fit the tune. In these cases, the “na-na’s” became an
integral part of the song!) kk
Here’s another
interesting clip on Cannibal and the Headhunters’ career …
Jay Black, what a great voice, and the reason I am currently in a band.
When he left Jay & The Americans, his place was taken by John
Reincke, who at that time was "Johnny Starr" in Johnny Starr and the
Meteors. I saw John's last show with the Meteors. I told him he
sounded very much like Jay (Black) and he responded, "I am Jay!".
When he sang "She Cried" he introduced it as his first #1 song, even
though he was eight years old when that happened.
The Meteors approached a singer I had worked for in the 80's, Harry
Stevens, to replace John. Instead, Harry decided the time was right for
"putting the band back together" and recruited me as a drummer.
Starting a 60's band in the 2000's is an uphill battle, but it's been fun.
The Meteors seem to be working steadily. I've seen them a
couple of times. They put on a good show.
Anyway, that's my four degrees of separation from Jay Black.
Ed #1
Johnny Starr and the
Meteors were a top oldies attraction here for years and years. John Reincke has an incredible voice and
vocal range and also paid tribute to other popular singers as part of his act,
including Roy Orbison and Neil Diamond.
(Turns out, Jay Black ALSO was a huge fan of The Big O, and would start
their shows with either “Oh, Pretty Woman” or “Crying,” a song that Jay and the
Americans also went on to record.
I’ve seen the group
with Jay #3 a number of times now and they absolutely DO honor the legacy of
the original band (just like the judge ordered them to! Lol)
kk
Sadly, Jay's death wasn't the only one we need to report from last week ...
We also lost these movers and shakers who affected our lives in one way or another ...
Robin McNamara ... who had himself a huge hit in 1970 with "Lay a Little Lovin' On Me" ... passed away yesterday (Thursday), at the age of 74.
In 1963, while in tenth grade, McNamara formed a rock
and roll group with a few school friends; they christened their band Robin and
the Hoods, performing locally in the New England area with McNamara as the lead
vocalist.
In the late 1960s, McNamara relocated to New York City,
where he became a cast member of the Broadway musical Hair, playing the lead
role of Claude from 1969-71. In 1969, he was introduced to composer/record
producer Jeff Barry, who signed him to his Steed record label.
Together with McNamara’s then songwriting
partner Jim Cretecos, they wrote a song called “Lay a Little Lovin’ on Me,” which
McNamara took to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of
1970. A lack of further chart success resulted in McNamara being dubbed a
one-hit wonder.
Ken Voss
Sad to lose actor Peter Scolari on Friday … I always enjoyed his work on both “Bosom Buddies” and “Newhart.” He was one of those actors that you wouldn’t see for awhile and then all of a sudden, he’d just show up on something … even just a small part … to remind you of how well thought of he was. He will be missed. (kk)
Songwriter LESLIE BRICUSSE has died at the age of 90.
He wrote many musicals … and co-wrote two James
Bond Themes … "GOLDFINGER (My Favorite) and "YOU ONLY LIVE
TWICE."
Frank B.
I like both of those as well.
In fact, the other night when there
was nothing on, I ran a YouTube mix of EVERY James Bond opening sequence and
movie theme. (Trust me, this’ll take a
while to watch!!!)
Having probably only seen four or
five Bond films in my whole life (I’ve just never really been a big fan), it
was interesting to discover the cool themes recorded by Gladys Knight (“License
To Kill”) and Sheryl Crow (“Tomorrow Never Dies.”)
If I had to rank my Top 007 James
Bond Themes, I think I’d have to go with:
#7 – Tomorrow Never Dies – Sheryl
Crow
#6 – License To Kill – Gladys Knight
#5 – Nobody Does It Better – Carly
Simon
#4 – Skyfall - Adele
#3 – The James Bond Theme – The John
Barry Orchestra
#2 – Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey
#1 – Live And Let Die – Paul
McCartney and Wings
Bricusse also had a hand in writing “The Candy Man,” “Feeling Good,” and had a hand in writing the soundtracks for “Hook,” “Dr. Doolittle,” “Superman” and “Scrooge.”
