Jay and the Americans are an American vocal group who were popular in the 1960s. Their initial line-up consisted of John "Jay" Traynor, Howard "Howie" Kane, Kenny Vance, and Sandy Deanne, though their greatest success on the charts in the United States and Canada came after Traynor left and once Jay Black and Marty Sanders joined the group; Black replaced Traynor as lead singer. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Biography
Early years
Jay and the Americans had its roots in a vocal group called The Harborlites, which was formed in 1959 in Belle Harbor, Queens by Kenneth Rosenberg (who adopted the stage name Kenny Vance), Louis Sandy Yaguda (who adopted the stage name Sandy Deanne), Sydelle Sherman, Gail Sherman, Ritchie Graff, and Linda Kahn. After a failed audition for Stan Feldman, co-owner of Ivy Records, Gail Sherman, Graff, and Kahn all left The Harborlites. The remaining three members worked on their sound, re-auditioned for Feldman, and this time won a recording contract. Specifically, Leiber and Stoller chose Binky Jones and the Americans, which the group tweaked to Jay and the Americans. A follow-up album, Wax Museum, in January 1970, yielded the No. 19 hit single "Walkin' In The Rain", first recorded by The Ronettes. Becker and Fagen also contributed string and horn arrangements to the Jay and the Americans albums Sands of Time, Wax Museum, and Capture the Moment (released in 1970). Becker and Fagen were signed with JATA Enterprises as songwriters by Vance, but Vance had difficulty finding labels interested in their songs, so he gave them the touring and arrangement jobs to secure them steady paychecks. using a variety of musicians.
The original version of "Cara Mia" went to No. 1 in the Netherlands when it was re-released in 1980.
In 1991, EMI released songs from their catalog on CD for the first time with the compilation album Come A Little Bit Closer.
In 2001, Jay Black was featured in the PBS special Rock, Rhythm, and Doo Wop as "Jay Black & The Americans".
Sale of the band name and reunion (2006-present)
thumb|250px|The group backstage at [[Massillon, Ohio (August 2008) L-R Sandy Deanne, Jay Reincke, Marty Sanders, Howie Kane.]]
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 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. Since reuniting, the band performs an "average [of] between forty-five and sixty shows per year" in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, according to Rick van Horn, a former contributor to Modern Drummer magazine, who has been the band's touring drummer since 2008 (and who has since become the group's manager and road manager).
In 2009, the reunited group released a new single, the Christmas song "Christmas in America". In 2010, they released two studio albums, 'Til The End of Time and Sweeter Than Wine, their first (studio albums) since 1970. Another studio album, Keepin' the Music Alive, followed in 2011. They released their most recent studio album, titled 45 RPM, in 2015.
Until 2017, David Blatt continued to tour under his stage name, "Jay Black," he continued to perform until 2017.
Kenny Vance is the lead singer of Kenny Vance and the Planotones, a neo-doo wop band that he formed in the 1970s (who are best known for their song "Looking for an Echo"). <!-- Eddie and the Cruisers --> Vance did not rejoin the group when they reunited in 2006.
After leaving the group, 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 toured with Jay Siegel's Tokens until shortly before his death on January 2, 2014.
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. Marty Sanders has missed some performances in 2024 and 2025;
Awards and recognition
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Members
Current members
- Sandy Deanne Yaguda – vocals, occasional cowbell (1960–1973, 2006–present)
- Marty Sanders – vocals, guitar (1962–1973, 2006–present<!-- needs source(s) -- ; not present at all concerts since 2024 -->)
- Jay Reincke – lead vocals (2006–present)
- Darren Dowler – vocals, guitar (2024–present)
- Lenie Colacino – vocals, bass (2025–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 (1962–1973; died 2021)
! style="width:40px;"| <small>US CB</small><br />
! style="width:40px;"| <small>CAN RPM</small><br />
|-
|1962
|align=left| She Cried
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="9"| United Artists Records
|-
|1964
|align=left| Come a Little Bit Closer
| 131
| 88
| —
|-
|1965
|align=left| Blockbusters
| 113
| 73
| —
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1966
|align=left| Sunday and Me
| 141
| —
| —
|-
|align=left| Livin' Above Your Head
| —
| —
| —
|-
|1967
|align=left| Try Some of This!
| —
| —
| —
|-
|1969
|align=left| Sands of Time
| 51
| 30
| 47<br />
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1970
|align=left| Wax Museum
| 105
| 68
| 71<br/ >
|-
|align=left| Capture the Moment
| —
| —
| —
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2010
|align=left| 'Til The End of Time
| —
| —
| —
|rowspan="4"| Rock-Away Records
|-
|align=left| Sweeter Than Wine
| —
| —
| —
|-
|rowspan="1" | 2011
|align=left| Keepin' the Music Alive
| —
| —
| —
|-
|rowspan="1" | 2015
|align=left| 45 RPM
| —
| —
| —
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}
Live albums
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Record Label
|-
! style="width:40px;"| <small>US 200</small><br /> (3-CD set)
| —
| —
|rowspan="1"| Capitol Records
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Title
!colspan="4"|Peak chart positions
!rowspan="2"|B-side<br /><small>From same album as A-side except where indicated</small>
!rowspan="2"|Album
|-
! style="width:40px;"| <small>US</small><br />
! style="width:40px;"| <small>US<br />AC</small><br />
! style="width:40px;"| <small>US<br />CB</small><br />
! style="width:40px;"| <small>CAN <br />RPM</small><br />
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1961
|align=left| "Tonight"
| 120
| —
| —
| —
| "The Other Girls"
|rowspan="2"|She Cried
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1962
|align=left| "She Cried"
| 5
| —
| 4
| —
| "Dawning"
|-
|align=left| "This Is It"
| 109
| —
| 83
| —
| "It's My Turn to Cry" <small>(Non-LP track)</small>
|rowspan="1"| Come a Little Bit Closer
|-
|align=left| "Yes"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| "Tomorrow" <small>(from Come a Little Bit Closer)</small>
|rowspan="1"|She Cried
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1963
|align=left| "What's the Use"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| "Strangers Tomorrow"
|rowspan="5"| Come a Little Bit Closer
|-
|align=left| "Only in America"
| 25
| —
| 28
| —
| "My Clair de Lune" <small>(from She Cried)</small>
|-
|align=left| "Come Dance with Me"
| 76
| —
| 82
| —
| "Look in My Eyes Maria"
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1964
|align=left| "To Wait for Love"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| "Friday"
|-
|align=left| "Come a Little Bit Closer"
| 3
| —
| 4
| 1
| "Goodbye Boys, Goodbye"
|-
|align=left| "Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)"
| 11
| —
| 10
| 9
| "I'll Remember You" <small>(from Livin' Above Your Head)</small>
|rowspan="3"| Blockbusters
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1965
|align=left| "Think of the Good Times"
| 57
| —
| 54
| 31
| "If You Were Mine, Girl"
|-
|align=left| "Cara Mia"
| 4
| —
| 4
| 1
| "When It's All Over" (Billboard No. 129)
|-
|align=left| "Some Enchanted Evening"
| 13
| —
| 15
| 5
| "Girl"
|rowspan="1"| Jay & the Americans Greatest Hits!
|-
|align=left| "Sunday and Me"
| 18
| —
| 20
| 6
| "Through This Doorway" <small>(from Jay & the Americans Greatest Hits!)</small>
|rowspan="3"| Sunday and Me
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1966
|align=left| "Why Can't You Bring Me Home"
| 63
| —
| 55
| 16
| "Baby Stop Your Cryin'"
|-
|align=left| "Crying"
| 25
| —
| 32
| 33
| "I Don't Need a Friend"
|-
|align=left| "Livin' Above Your Head"
| 76
| —
| 78
| 38
| "Look at Me, What Do You See"
|rowspan="1"| Livin' Above Your Head
|-
|align=left| "(He's) Raining in My Sunshine"
| 90
| —
| 62
| 60
| "The Reason for Living (For You My Darling)"<br /><small>(from Livin' Above Your Head)</small>
|rowspan="2"| Try Some of This!
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1967
|align=left| "You Ain't as Hip as All That Baby"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| "Nature Boy"
|-
|align=left| "(We'll Meet in The) Yellow Forest"
| 131
| —
| 93
| 75
| "Got Hung Up Along the Way"
|rowspan="4"|Non-LP tracks
|-
|align=left| "French Provincial"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| "Shanghai Noodle Factory"
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1968
|align=left| "No Other Love"
| 114
| —
| 119
| —
| "No, I Don't Know Her"<small> (from Capture the Moment)</small>
|-
|align=left| "You Ain't Gonna Wake Up Cryin'"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| "Gemini (Don't You Ever Wonder Why)"
|-
|align=left| "This Magic Moment"
| 6
| 11
| 5
| 1
| "Since I Don't Have You"
|rowspan="3"| Sands of Time
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1969
|align=left| "When You Dance"
| 70
| —
| 41
| 40
| "No, I Don't Know Her" <small>(from Capture The Moment)</small>
|-
|align=left| "Hushabye"
| 62
| 31
| 45
| 42
| "Gypsy Woman"
|-
|align=left| "(I'd Kill) For the Love of a Lady"
| —
| —
| 113
| —
| "Learnin' How to Fly"
|rowspan="1"| Capture the Moment
|-
|align=left| "Walkin' in the Rain"
| 19
| 8
| 14
| 17
| "For the Love of a Lady" <small> (from Capture the Moment)</small>
|rowspan="1"| Wax Museum, Vol. 1
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1970
|align=left| "Capture the Moment"
| 57
| 32
| 45
| 41
| "Do You Ever Think of Me" <small>(Non-LP track)</small>
|rowspan="1"| Capture the Moment
|-
|align=left| "Do I Love You?"
| —
| —
| 123
| —
| "Tricia (Tell Your Daddy)" <small>(from Capture the Moment)</small>
|rowspan="1"| Wax Museum, Vol. 1
|-
|rowspan="1"| 1971
|align=left| "There Goes My Baby"
| 90
| —
| —
| —
| "Solitary Man"
|rowspan="2"|Non-album singles
|-
| rowspan="1"| 2009
|align=left| "Christmas in America"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| N/A
|-
| colspan="12" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}
Notes
References
External links
- Jay Black's website
- 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
- Singing "Two of a Kind" in Wild Wild Winter