|
Jay & the Americans
Jay & the Americans
Artist Information
Genres: Pop, Pop/Rock, Brill Building Pop
Active: 60's, 70's
Formed: 1961 in New York, NY
Influences
Similar Artists
Biography
Though they had a bunch of hits across 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" (which you could, in the second half of the 1970s, just imagine Eddie Mekka's %Carmine Ragusa, aka "%The Big Ragu," singing on #Laverne & Shirley), "Come a Little Bit Closer," and "Let's Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)" -- came off as sort of hit parade versions of +West Side Story. The group also relied on outside songwriters for its material, drifting into MOR covers of oldies by the end of the '60s, and was generally a sort of textbook of unhipness during a time when self-contained rock bands were becoming the norm.
Discography
Release: April 29, 2008
Label: Beat Goes On
Release: February 15, 2005
Label: Beat Goes On