Jay & The Americans Live & Unreleased (CD)

(Sting Music Ltd.) 21 tracks (57:12) 1958-78

Track 1-9  recorded live on stage, Capitol Theater in Passaic, New Jersey, April 2, 1970. Tracks 10 - 20 unreleased.

In September of 1958, David "Jay Black" and Marty Sanders formed a duet called The Two Chaps and on October 16, 1958 they recorded the songs "No More" and "Forgive Me". Meanwhile, another group consisting of Jay Traynor, Kenny Vance, Howie Kane and Sandy Yagunda were singing together as the Harbor-Lites, unbeknown to them that later in 1960 they would become Jay & the Americans.

On January 23, 1960, Jay & the Americans went into a recording studio and recorded "Wisdom Of A Fool" which was never released. Jay Traynor left the group in 1961 and David "Jay Black" Block and Marty Sanders joined the group that same year, Forming the second Jay & the Americans with Kenny Vance, Howie Kane and Sandy Yagunda.
In July of 1962, David "Jay Black" Block and Marty Sanders joined a group called The Empires and recorded "A Time And A Place" and "Punch Your Nose"

In November of 1975, David "Jay Black" Block left The Americans and ventured out on a solo career recording "Running Scared" and "Dolphins" and in 1978 he recorded "Love Is In The Air" and "Don't Go Please Stay"

The Live portion of this compact disc features David "Jay Black" Block and the Americans Marty Sanders, Kenny Vance, Howie Kane and Sandy Yagunda. Jay gives credit to The Drifters for use of one of their biggest hit songs, "This Magic Moment", when in fact he should have given credit to The Drifters for the song "Only In America". The song was taken away from The Drifters by its writers, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and given to Jay & the Americans to record in 1963. (The Drifters version of this song is included here, track 21).

....from the linernotes