Jay LaBoy
Encyclopedia
"Hurricane" Jay LaBoy an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

 born 1975. He uses his music to create blues from the heart and soul.

Biography

Jay LaBoy was born in Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 in 1975. He grew up in Hartford, moving to Wethersfield
Wethersfield
Wethersfield may refer to:* RAF Wethersfield, a British Ministry of Defence training facility in Essex, England* Wethersfield, Connecticut* Wethersfield, Essex, an English village near RAF Wethersfield* Wethersfield, New York* Wethersfield, Vermont...

 when he was 15 years old. LaBoy attended South Catholic High School in Hartford for two years, then attended East Catholic High School
East Catholic High School
East Catholic High School is a college preparatory high school in Manchester, Connecticut. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. The parochial school was founded in 1961...

 in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

, Connecticut in which he graduated from in 1993.

He had a strong desire to play guitar at an early age. The first time LaBoy picked up a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

; it was his brother’s right-handed acoustic guitar. He taught himself to play it with the strings upside down. His brother would encourage him to play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 the proper way, but never took his advice. Soon after that LaBoy bought a left-handed electric guitar with the help and encouragement of his brother.
The sales person that sold LaBoy his first guitar was a local legend himself Jimi Bell.

Jay LaBoy is known as "Hurricane" Jay LaBoy for his hurricane style of playing guitar. One of his favorite guitar players was Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...

, which he was quoted as saying “Stevie Ray Vaughan is the reason I'm playing and the reason I am alive right now". He loves the sounds of Motown and old R&B. The 1980s had many new talents emerging with different sounds and rhythms that influenced his personal desire to be a fiery blues guitar player. The entertainers that captured his attention with their musical talents were Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...

, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...

, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

, and James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....

.

Career

1980s and 1990s

LaBoy began playing guitar to an audience in 1989. Taking tips from guitar players like Jimi Bell, Jeff Pitchell and Burt Teague.

Jay LaBoy joined a band, Twist of Fate in 1989. They played classic rock covers, which lead them to a tour for the United States Defense Department Tours Program through South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. They played for the Air Force's 48th Anniversary in South Korea 1995. Nearly 50,000 soldiers and their families were in attendance for this celebration.
LaBoy sold guitars and studied under Connecticut guitar legend, Jimi Bell, at the Music Exchange in Newington
Newington
Newington is the name of several places, districts, a school, and a house.* England:**Greater London*** Newington, London *** Stoke Newington, a district in London*** Newington Green, a district in London**Kent*** Newington, Swale, Kent...

, Connecticut during 1996. He felt he was ready to go back on tour with Sister Sez, from Pittsburgh to Western Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 in 1997. Soon after that he moved to Pennsylvania and joined the Wall of Blues Band. During this period of time, Jay LaBoy had gained experience in the music world.

In 1998 Jay LaBoy created a blues, rock, funk band called “Hurricane” Jay LaBoy and In Step. The name of the band In Step
In Step
In Step is the fourth studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released in 1989. The title In Step can be seen as referring to Vaughan's new-found sobriety, following the years of drug and alcohol use that eventually led Vaughan into rehabilitation. It was also Vaughan's final album...

 came from the last In Step Tour
In Step Tour
The In Step Tour was a North American concert tour by blues band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble to promote their fourth studio album, In Step. The tour visited auditoriums and amphitheatres from 1989 through 1990...

 of Stevie Ray Vaughan. During this time, LaBoy backed Chicago blues legend, Jimmy Dawkins
Jimmy Dawkins
James Henry "Jimmy" Dawkins is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. He is generally considered a part of the "West Side Sound" of Chicago blues.-Career:...

, at a show honoring Mr. Dawkins. This event was held at the Adam's Mark
Adam's Mark
Adam's Mark is a former chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was based in St. Louis, Missouri. The chain was founded in the early 1970s by Fred Kummer and owned by HBE, Corp., which was also founded by Kummer.-History:...

Hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

 in Philadelphia PA.

LaBoy released his first CD in 1999, “Step Aside” with In Step
In Step
In Step is the fourth studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released in 1989. The title In Step can be seen as referring to Vaughan's new-found sobriety, following the years of drug and alcohol use that eventually led Vaughan into rehabilitation. It was also Vaughan's final album...

. Guitar player Jimmy Dawkins
Jimmy Dawkins
James Henry "Jimmy" Dawkins is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. He is generally considered a part of the "West Side Sound" of Chicago blues.-Career:...

 was a special guest on two of the tracks. I Ain't Cryin (I Kept My Money In My Shoe)and Blue Wind. Also with LaBoy on Step Aside was Michael Quintero-Moore on bass and vocals and Glenn Webb on drums.

2000s

Jay LaBoy was PhillyBlues.com’s Artist of the Month in September 2000, also twice nominated for The Abilene Awards for Best Guitarist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. This award was issued by the Abilene Southwest Roadhouse Restaurant, located at 429 South St, Philadelphia Pa. This was a popular bar restaurant in the early 2000s that presented many great musicians, such as Tommy Conwell
Tommy Conwell
Tommy Conwell is a US guitarist, songwriter and performer. He is best known as the frontman for the Philadelphia-based band Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers. The band had a #1 US mainstream rock hit in 1988 with "I'm Not Your Man"...

  until it closed down in 2006.
In 2001 a second CD was released, entitled, "Pure Soul" with “Hurricane” Jay LaBoy and In Step.

Jay LaBoy and In Step played at the Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...

 for the Annual Beef & Beer for 610 WIP http://www.610wip.com/ Sports Radio station June 2003, before the stadium came down.

Starting in 2004 LaBoy joined the Buicks when they signed with Teletone Studios in March 2005. They released a CD July 2006 which Jay Laboy was a featured artist. LaBoy was also working on his first ever solo acoustic CD, “Songs From A One Bedroom Apartment”.

As his life went through changes so did his music; he joined different bands with different sounds. Helping him evolve into the musician he is today. Reformed "Hurricane" Jay LaBoy and In Step with Marc Iezzi and Willie Williams in 2006. Produced and released a live "Hurricane" Jay LaBoy & In Step DVD.
In 2008 Jay LaBoy decided to relocate back to Connecticut where he is originally from and started to perform as Acoustically Speaking.
The Wethersfield Life Magazine featured Jay LaBoy on his new acoustic sound and coming home to Connecticut January 9, 2009. It was titled: Guitarist comes home from Philly with a new acoustic sound. He calls this new sound "Acoustically Speaking"

Discography

  • Step Aside (1999)
  • In Step: Live from the Lehigh Valley Blues Festival (2001)
  • Pure Soul (2001)
  • In Step: Live from the Lehigh Valley Blues Festival-DVD (2002)
  • The Buicks featuring "Hurricane" Jay LaBoy (2006)
  • Songs From A One Bedroom Apartment (2007)

External links

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