Jay Black
Encyclopedia
Jay Black is an American singer, also known as "The Voice," whose height of fame came in the 1960s when he was the lead singer of the band Jay and the Americans
. The band had numerous hits including "Cara Mia
", "Come a Little Bit Closer
", and "This Magic Moment
".
Black was born in New York and grew up in Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Boro Park. In his later career, he has become known for touring New York State and Florida singing, mainly solo, and preceding his singing with a stand-up comedy
routine. Jay and his brother speak Yiddish fluently.In 1966 he recorded a Yiddish song "Where Is My Village" about the holocaust
In 2006, Black completed bankruptcy proceedings in Manhattan, after he accrued a $500,000 debt in back taxes to the IRS as a result of his gambling addiction. The IRS initially sought to force him to sell the rights to perform as "Jay Black" as well as the trademark for "Jay and the Americans" in order to satisfy his debt to the IRS. Black did however win a partial victory in the case, which granted him the right to continue to use the name "Jay Black", but he was required to sell the rights to perform as "Jay and the Americans". The trademark to "Jay and the Americans" was purchased by former members of "Jay and the Americans". He can no longer perform as "Jay Black and the Americans" and now performs as "Jay Black and the Alley Cats".
single "Time And A Place" b/w "Punch Your Nose" (Epic 5-9527). He had previously used David Black as his professional name, but changed his first name to suit the band's pre-existing name. He would later bill himself as "Jay Black and the Americans" after the original band had broken up.
Jay and the Americans
Jay and the Americans was a pop music group popular in the 1960s. Their initial lineup consisted of John "Jay" Traynor, Howard Kane , Kenny Vance and Sandy Deanne , though their greatest success on the charts came after Traynor had been replaced as lead singer by Jay Black.-Early years:They were...
. The band had numerous hits including "Cara Mia
Cara Mia
"Cara Mia" is a popular song published in 1954 and became a hit for English singer David Whitfield in 1954 and a #4 hit by the American pop group Jay and the Americans in 1965. The title means "my beloved" in Italian....
", "Come a Little Bit Closer
Come A Little Bit Closer
"Come a Little Bit Closer" is a popular song by the 1960s rock and roll band Jay and the Americans that reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964, making it the band's highest ranking single ever . It also peaked at #4 on the Cashbox chart and at #1 on RPM's singles chart...
", and "This Magic Moment
This Magic Moment
"This Magic Moment" is the title of a song composed by lyricist Doc Pomus and pianist Mort Shuman. It is one of their best known successes. It was recorded first by Ben E. King with The Drifters and scored #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 during 1960...
".
Black was born in New York and grew up in Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Boro Park. In his later career, he has become known for touring New York State and Florida singing, mainly solo, and preceding his singing with a stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
routine. Jay and his brother speak Yiddish fluently.In 1966 he recorded a Yiddish song "Where Is My Village" about the holocaust
In 2006, Black completed bankruptcy proceedings in Manhattan, after he accrued a $500,000 debt in back taxes to the IRS as a result of his gambling addiction. The IRS initially sought to force him to sell the rights to perform as "Jay Black" as well as the trademark for "Jay and the Americans" in order to satisfy his debt to the IRS. Black did however win a partial victory in the case, which granted him the right to continue to use the name "Jay Black", but he was required to sell the rights to perform as "Jay and the Americans". The trademark to "Jay and the Americans" was purchased by former members of "Jay and the Americans". He can no longer perform as "Jay Black and the Americans" and now performs as "Jay Black and the Alley Cats".
Career
Jay Black was the second, and more widely-known Jay to lead the band Jay and the Americans, the first being Jay Traynor. He had previously come from the doo-wop group The Empires, where he had sung lead on their 1962 lone Epic RecordsEpic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
single "Time And A Place" b/w "Punch Your Nose" (Epic 5-9527). He had previously used David Black as his professional name, but changed his first name to suit the band's pre-existing name. He would later bill himself as "Jay Black and the Americans" after the original band had broken up.