Jay & The Americans

In the 1960s Jay & the Americans joined the Four Seasons as leading ensembles that sustained the vocal-group aesthetic of the 1950s. Updating doo-wop conventions with fresh arrangements suited to shifting pop tastes, the quartet retained a polished, professional image that stood in opposition to the era’s emerging rebellious attitudes. Frontman Jay Black supplied the stylistic foundation; although he was not the original lead, the soaring scope and dramatic flair of his voice anchored signature recordings such as “Cara Mia,” “Only in America,” and “Come a Little Bit Closer.” Their most compelling work is gathered on the 1990 anthology Come a Little Bit Closer: The Best of Jay & the Americans, which underscores their identity as a singles-oriented act. Among their original long-players, 1966’s Sunday and Me stands out as particularly strong, while 1969’s Sands of Time sought to merge longstanding traditions with current musical currents.

The ensemble’s history opened in 1959 when three students at Far Rockaway High in Belle Harbor, New York—Kenny Vance (born Kenny Rosenberg), Sydelle Sherman, and Sandy Deanne (born Sandy Yuguda)—formed the Harbor Lites. Local label operator Stan Feldman, who ran Ivy Records, signed the trio and issued their first single, “Is That Too Much to Ask” backed with “What Would I Do Without You,” which achieved regional success. Vance and Deanne soon decided an all-male lineup would improve their prospects and asked manager Jim Gribble to help restructure the group. At the time Gribble also represented the Mystics, whose hit “Hushabye” had recently charted. After the Mystics’ lead singer departed, John “Jay” Traynor joined briefly but quickly grew dissatisfied; he instead aligned with Vance and Deanne. Adding Howie Kane (born Howie Kirschenbaum), a friend of Deanne’s, completed the new quartet, which adopted the name Jay & the Americans.

Production and songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller secured the act a contract with United Artists Records. Their debut single, a 1961 rendition of “Tonight” from West Side Story, achieved only modest notice, and the follow-up “Dawning” in 1962 likewise struggled until disc jockeys began favoring the B-side “She Cried.” That track climbed to number five on the national singles chart. The label rushed the quartet back into the studio for additional material and the album She Cried (1962), yet the next three singles failed to register. Under mounting pressure from constant touring, Traynor exited the lineup. Guitarist Marty Sanders (born Marty Kupersmith), already performing with the group, recommended David Blatt, then working in a shoe store. Blatt’s unaccompanied performance of “Cara Mia” during his audition secured the position; adopting the stage name Jay Black, he recorded the patriotic Leiber-Stoller composition “Only in America,” which reached number 25 in 1963 and restored the act’s commercial momentum.

Subsequent releases “Come Dance with Me” and “To Wait for Love” made little impression, but the melodramatic 1964 single “Come a Little Bit Closer” capitalized on Black’s expressive delivery to become their biggest success, peaking at number three, while “Let’s Lock the Door (And Throw Away the Key)” followed at number 11. The renewed visibility earned Jay & the Americans an opening slot on the Beatles’ inaugural American tour and a co-bill with the Rolling Stones later that year. In 1965 the quartet finally recorded “Cara Mia,” the song that had won Black his audition; his performance propelled the track to number four. Additional Top 20 entries that year included “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Sunday and Me,” an early copyright for then-emerging songwriter Neil Diamond.

Although a cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying” returned them to number 25 in 1966, the group’s hit-making consistency began to wane. They remained popular live performers, particularly in New York, yet the dominance of British Invasion acts together with the rise of sunshine pop and psychedelic styles left them increasingly out of step with prevailing rock trends—an incongruity that nevertheless contributed to their distinct appeal. Attempts to refresh their sound appeared on Livin’ Above Your Head (1966) and Try Some of This (1967), but radio support remained limited. The 1969 album Sands of Time paired doo-wop-era standards with arrangements that respected both past and present sensibilities; the experiment proved successful, yielding the group’s highest-charting LP at number 51 on the Billboard 200 and their final Top Ten single, “This Magic Moment.” A comparable approach shaped 1970’s Wax Museum, while Capture the Moment explored more contemporary material. Following the 1971 single “There Goes My Baby,” the act ceased recording and formally disbanded in 1974.

Post-breakup, Black pursued a solo career, Vance entered studio production and later performed with the doo-wop revival group the Planotones, Deanne worked as an A&R executive and theater director, Sanders enjoyed songwriting success (including “Bad Reputation” for Joan Jett), and Kane moved into social work. After Black relinquished the rights to the name Jay & the Americans in 2006, a reconstituted lineup featuring Deanne, Kane, and Sanders began touring and issued two albums: ’Til the End of Time (2010) and Keepin’ the Music Alive (2011). Subsequent iterations of the group have continued to present their signature harmony-pop style to appreciative audiences.