Jay & the Americans: Biography

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• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

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• Leiber & Stoller
• Neil Diamond
• Marty Robbins
• The American Breed
• The Lettermen
• The Association
• Gary Puckett

• The Drifters
• The Mystics

• Steely Dan

• Ted Daryll
• Tulio Trapani
• Phil Spector
• Doc Pomus
• Wes Farrell
• Mort Shuman
• Barry Mann

Formed:

Jan 1, 1961 in New York, NY

Disbanded:

Jan 1, 1971

Genres:

60s Music, Rock Music

Decades Active:

1960's|1970's

Artistic Quality

Low

Cultural Impact

Low

Popularity

Low

Ratings Guide

Though they had a bunch of hits in the 1960s, Jay the Americans were a throwback to a previous era in their doo wop influenced vocals, neatly groomed, short-haired appearance, and mix of pop-rock with operatic schmaltz. Built around the neck-bulging upper-register vocals of David Blatt AKA Jay Black, their biggest hits -- "She Cried," "Cara Mia," "Come a Little Bit Closer," and "Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)" -- came off as a sort of hit parade version of West Side Story. The group also relied on outside songwriters for their material, drifting into MOR covers of oldies by the end of the '60s, and were generally a sort of textbook of unhipness during a time when self-contained rock bands were becoming the norm. Now that there's no pressure to disparage them in favor of more authentic acts, we can appreciate them for what they were -- purveyors, at their best, of enjoyable kitsch with little depth.

Jay Black wasn't even in the band when they got their first big hit, "She Cried," which went to 5 in 1962. Produced by Leiber and Stoller, the booming percussion and soaring strings, as well as the sad melody, was reminiscent of their work with the Drifters, though in a much Whiter mold. Jay Black had replaced lead singer Jay Traynor by the time of their second hit in 1963, "Only in America" (neither of them, by the way, were actually named Jay; their first names were conveniently changed to fit the band's billing). Not coincidentally, perhaps, "Only in America" had originally been offered to the Drifters, whose version remained unreleased until 1996. In the hands of Jay the Americans, the Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil tune -- originally designed as a subtle (probably too subtle) protest of sorts -- became a rather gauche patriotic statement, complete with mariachi trumpets.

That odd Mexican feel reappeared on two of their biggest mid-'60s hits, "Come a Little Bit Closer" and "Cara Mia," which transplanted Roy Orbison's operatic sensibilities to the heart of the Bronx. "Cara Mia" in particular was a rather astonishing exercise in sheer top-range vocal power by Black, if not one to everyone's taste. The less memorable "Sunday and Me," from 1965, was notable in that it was Neil Diamond's first major success as a songwriter. Out of the Top 40 for a few years after 1966, Jay and the boys resurfaced in 1969 and 1970 with smooth hit updates of the Drifters' "This Magic Moment" and the Ronettes' "Walkin' in the Rain" before heading to the oldies circuit. Interestingly, future Steely Dan leaders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen played in the Americans' backup group for a time in the early '70s.

- Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide