This article appeared in the April May 1972 issue of Bim Bam Book Magazine

Jay and The Americans

BY MARCIA VANCE

Harbor lites The Harbor lites, Sandy Yaguda, Sydell Sherman, and Kenny Vance
In 1959, Kenny Vance and Sandy Yaguda were part of a vocal group called the Harbor lites; so called because they lived in Belle Harbor, New York. The other members were Sydell Sherman, Gail Sherman, Linda Kahn and Richie Graff. They all attended the same school. One of the owners of IVY Records, Stan Feldman, also lived in that neighborhood and the Harbor lites went to his home to audition for his label. He thought that the group was terrible and told them to go home and do a lot of practicing. Linda, Gail and Richie left the group at this point and the three remaining members practiced constantly. When they thought that they were good enough they went back to his office to audition again. This time they were signed to a contract and their first record was "Is That Too Much To Ask"- originally on Ivy but Jaro Records purchased the master. Jaro stood for The J. Arthur Rank Organization. Cousin Brucie (Morrow), a very popular New York City Disc Jockey, liked the record and because of him, it was a minor hit. The Harbor lites had a second record on Jaro called "Ticka Ticka Tock". The record company (Jaro) closed down six months later.

The Harbor lites, had, like so many other white groups of that era, been managed by Jim Gribble. Another of his groups was The Mystics, who, at that time, were minus a lead singer, Phil Cracolici, who had to drop out of the group for awhile - just after their hit record "Hushabye". John Traynor (Jay) was filling in as lead until Phil returned to the group. Jay sang lead on two of The Mystics' songs - "White Cliffs Of Dover" and Blue Star", as well as on some of their unreleased records, but was unhappy with the group because they had not accepted him. They were guys who had grown up together and they resented anybody taking Phil's place. Jay considered himself an outsider. At this time. Kenny and Sandy decided that they wanted to have a male recording group. Through the Gribble Office, they met Jay and he agreed to join their, as yet, unnamed group. Shortly after, Sandy called on an old buddy of his, Howie Kane and got him to join the group. Living also in Belle Harbor was a song writer/producer named Terry Philips (now the owner of Perception Records). The group auditioned for Terry and he liked the way they sang. Terry knew Danny Kessler, who was partners with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in a publishing company. This was when Leiber/Stoller were the hottest producers/writers in the business. The group sang "Wisdom of a Fool" for their audition and some songs that had been written by Terry. L&S (Leiber and Stoller) loved the group but didn't want to record any of Terry's songs. There was a dispute in the office between L&S and Terry, and L&S threw Jay and the Americans (although they still had no name at the time) out, along with Terry. L&S had promised the guys the world and four very dejected boys walked out of the office. Kenny got angry and decided to go back to their office and tell them off. Apparently L&S were not used to this kind of back talk because they finally said that they would go through with the deal.

L&S had a production deal with United Artists and got the group signed to that label. They (L&S) were into "spoofs" and wanted to call the group, Binky Jones and the Americans, but the guys didn't go for it. Hence, they compromised on Jay and the Americans. They went into the studio and cut Tonight' from "West Side Story'. United Artists had also produced the film and had the piano duo, Ferrante and Teicher under contract. U.A. promised Jay and the Americans a great
Jay and The Americans Kenny Vance, Howie Kane, Sandy Yaguda, and Jay Traynor
deal of promotion if they would record "Tonight" and apparently offered Ferrente and Teicher the same deal . Ferrente and Teicher recorded it and it became a big hit. It was also a hit (though not as large) for Jay and The Americans - selling well in New York - about 40,000 copies.

Their second record was "Dawning" b/w "She Cried". "Dawning" was supposed to be the hit side but very little was happening with it. The record was out for about six months when Danny Kessler came running into the office yelling "We've got a hit.'" There was a West Coast Disc Jockey (unfortunately, the guys don't remember his name) who flipped over "She Cried" and locked himself into the broadcasting booth, playing it over and over for about four hours. He got into quite a bit of trouble but he's the one responsible for "She Cried" becoming a hit. The album "She Cried' was released shortly thereafter, containing almost all Drifters and Ben E. King material.

To go back to 1959 - David (Jay) Black and Marty Sanders were next door neighbors who started to sing together in High School. A friend of theirs took them to Nat Garrick who decided to manage them and took them to Ivy Records as The Two Chaps. Atlantic Records heard the master of "Forgive Me" on Ivy and purchased it. The record didn't do much and that was the brief career of The Two Chaps. Subsequently, Marty formed another group called The Interludes who later changed their name to The Empires when they started recording for Epic. The group consisted of Marty, Eddie Robbins, Leo Rose (lead) and two other guys called Phil and Gary. Here again, their names (last) are not remembered. Right after their demo session, Leo dropped out of the group and Marty called in Jay Black. The Empires cut one record entitled "Time And A Place" b/w "Punch Your Nose". Jay and Marty wrote "Time And A Place" and Jay sang lead. "Punch Your Nose" was written by Marty and he sang lead. This too, was a short lived group.

During the album session of "She Cried", Danny Kessler asked Marty, who was then Jay and The Americans' guitarist, to sing with the group. Marty agreed and has been with them ever since.

Due to the success of "She Cried", the group was doing a lot of traveling and this proved too much for Jay Traynor. He started missing rehearsals and the guys thought that he wanted to solo. Jay admitted that he had been thinking about it and the guys said that they would go on without him. Marty said that he had sung with a guy who had a great voice and the next day, he brought Jay Black to Sandy's house to audition. Jay sang "Cara Mia" (acappella) and they flipped. Jay and the Americans' first record with the new Jay was "Only in America" and the story behind it is fascinating.

Jay and The Americans Howie Kane, Marty Sanders, Jay Traynor, Kenny Vance, and Sandy Yaguda
L&S were having great success with their other acts and the choice material was going to them. Jay and the Americans felt that they were getting the leftovers and were quite unhappy. They were in the studio one day and heard a master of the new Drifters' record "Only In America". They complained to L&S that this was a great song and would have been perfect for them. At that moment, L&S received word from Atlantic Records that they were not going to release the record by the Drifters because it was outrageous for a black group to be singing about becoming President in those pre-Civil Rights days. L&S thought the song had "great social comment" and might bring people to realize that things in this country were not as they should be. Atlantic Records had the final say and the record was never released. It is rumored that there are several copies of the Drifters' version around. L&S said that they could get the song for Jay and the Americans if they wanted it. They said they did and Les called Atlantic and said that they were interested in purchasing the master tape. Atlantic agreed to sell it for the cost of the session. The music track was retained and Jay and the Americans went into the studio to overdub the voice track. The rest is history. Many people are under the impression that this song is from "West Side Story" and apparently get in confused with the song from that show called "America". There is no connection between the song and the show.

After this record, L&S became extremely busy with The Drifters, The Coasters, Ben E. King, etc., so an outside producer was called in. He was Artie Ripp - at that time of Kama Sutra Productions (later to become Kama Sutra Records). The first record he did with the guys was "Come A Little Bit Closer" and producer credits were shared with L&S. The group was also the first to have a hit with a Neil Diamond song. "Sunday And Me"

Jay Black was so nervous when he first joined the group that before each performance, he had to run to the men's room to be sick. At one engagement, Marty was rehearsing the band and the drummer could not cut the show. The more Marty tried to help him, the worse playing got and finally he got sick on the bandstand. Jay, who had been watching this whole scene, thought that the guy's getting sick was absolutely ridiculous and from that point on, he had no problems with his nerves.

After "Sunday And Me", Jay cut a solo record for UA - "What Will My Mary Say" b/w "Return To Me". He also cut a solo album but somehow or other the master tape was lost.

When Jay auditioned for the group, he sang "Cara Mia" and for 3 1/2 years. the group did it in their act. Jay had always wanted to record it but the people in the business thought that nothing could happen with this song. Jay finally got his way and shortly thereafter, the song hit the top of the charts,

Gerry Granahan, a house producer for U.A. also cut the group. Gerry, you will remember, had a smash hit in "No Chemise Please" and was also the lead singer of Dicky Doo and The Don'ts. Dicky Doo was known as the lead singer but it was really the voice of Gerry Granahan that was heard.

The original group, from "Only In America" on, is still together with the exception of Howie Kane, who left because of a personality conflict. He apparently didn't want to conform to a group image and there were some difficulties. Rather than break-up friendships, Howie left and is, to this day, good friends with the other guys. He is still in the music business in California but on an administration level. Jay Traynor is in the managing end of the business. He is now associated with a contemporary group known as Mylon.

Jay and The Americans Kenny Vance, Marty Sanders,
Jay Black, and Sandy Yaguda
In 1969, Jay and The Americans produced their first album - "Sands Of Time" for their own company - JATA (For Jay and The Americans) Enterprises, consisting of oldies. Throughout the years, The Drifters held a very special place in the hearts of the guys and their single released from this album was "This Magic Moment" which went on to be one of their biggest hits. Sandy told me this album was a tribute to the way they all feel about R&B music of the 50's. They felt that this album was their greatest effort and are very proud of it. Sandy said, "We were recording it white, but feeling it soul." Their following two singles "When You Dance" and "Hushabye" were also taken from this album followed with the album "Wax Museum" which also was all oldies.

"Tricia Tell Your Daddy" was their last Single before the group fell into Inactivity for a year and a half.

Recently they did a show at Madison Square Garden In New York along with The Four Tops, Frankie Valle and The Four Seasons, and Martha Reeves and The Vandellas. The show (a sell-out) was a smash and was video taped for television showing. If you ever have a chance to see Jay and The Americans in a club or show, don't miss them. They put on a class act that is extremely enjoyable.

We are fortunate in that they are now recording again and their new release Is another Drifters' song - "There Goes My Baby". When I heard a test pressing of this record, I flipped. I think it's great and I loved the violin part, taken from "True Love, True Love" also by The Drifters.

Jay and The Americans are back on the scene again and it is a pleasure seeing and hearing them once more.

JAY AND THE AMERICANS' DISCOGRAPHY
UNITED
ARTISTS #		 TITLE YEAR
415 Tonight/The Other Girls 1961
479 She Cried/Dawning 1961
504 Tomorrow/Yes 1962
556 Strangers Tomorrow/What's The Use 1962
626 Only In America/My Clair DeLune 1963
669 Came Dance With Me/Look In My Eyes Maria 1963
693 To Wait For Love/Friday 1963
759 Come A Little Bit Closer/Goodbye Boys Goodbye 1964
805 Let's Lock The Door/I'll Remember You 1964
845 Think Of The Good Times/If You Were Mine Girl 1964
881 Cara Mia/When It's All Over 1965
919 Same Enchanted Evening/Girl 1965
948 Sunday And Me/Through This Doorway 1965
992 Why Can't You Bring Me Home/Baby Stop Your Crying 1965
513016 Crying/I Don't Need A Friend 1966
50046 Living Above Your Head/Look At Me-What no You See 1966
50094 (He's) Raining In My Sunshine/The Reason For Living 1967
50139 You Ain't As Hip As All That Baby/Mature Boy 1967
50196 (We'll Meet In The)Yellow Forest/Got Hung Up Along The Way 1967
50222 French Provincial/Shanghai Noodle Factory 1968
50282 No Other Love/No I Don't Know Her 1968
50448 You Ain't Gonna Wake Up Crying/Gemini 1968
50475 This Magic Moment/Since I Don t Have You 1969
50510 When You Dance/No I Don't Know Her 1969
50535 Hushabye/Gypsy Woman 1969
50567 Learnin' How To Fly/I'd Kill For The Love Of A Lady 1969
50605 Walkin' In The Rain/I'd Kill For The Love Of A Lady 1970
50654 Capture The Moment/Do You Ever Think Of Me 1970
50683 Tricia Tell Your Daddy/Do I Love You 1970
50858 There Goes My Baby/Solitary Man 1971
ALBUMS
UAL 3222 She Cried  
UAL 3300 Live At Cafe Wah  
UAL 3407 Come A Little Bit Closer  
UAL 3417 Blockbusters  
UAL 3453 Greatest Hits  
UAL 3474 Sunday And Me  
UAL 3534 Living Above Your Head  
UAL 3555 Greatest Hits - Volume 2  
UAL 3562 Try Some Of This  
UAL 3671 Sands Of Time  
UAL 3719 Wax Museum  
UAL 3762 Capture The Moment  
UMART 21019 Jay And The Americans  
UAL 3317 Golden Souvenirs - Various Artists  
UAL 3322 The Sounds Of The Hit Groups - Various Artists  
DECCA DL4699 Wild Wind Winter - Original Soundtrack album Crystal Corp.  
LP 500 Twenty Four Solid Hits - Various artists  
KFM 1001 Murray The K Live From The Brooklyn Fox (KFM was Murray's own label)  
OTHER INTERESTING RECORDING FACTS
JARO Is That Too Much To Ask/What Would I Do Without You The Harbor lites 1959
JARO Ticka Ticka Tock/Angel Of Love The Harbor lites 1959
ATLANTIC 1195 Forgive Me/No More The Two Chaps - Buddy Lucas on sax, Cal Lynch end Everett Barksdale on guitar. 1959
EPIC 5-9527 Punch Your Nose/Time And A Place The Empires 1959
AMY MALA (Won't You Be My) Valentine/Roberta Sandy recorded this under the name of Lindy Curtis 1960
BJR 1003 May L. 'toy/split Pea Soup Marty recorded this under the name of L. Roy Baimes (The Cadillacs were the background group) 1961
SMASH Thank You And Goodnight - The Angels This was Murray The K's sign off song - Marty wrote it and also played guitar on all the Angels' recording dates with the Bobby Comstock Orch.  
CORAL 62396 How Sweet It Is/I Rise I Fall Jay Traynor - label copy said "Jay Traynor formerly of Jay and The Americans 1965
AMY 943 That's My Men/ Stand By Me - Little Eva Marty wrote That's My Man  
UA 50658 Moonshine was really Jay and The Americans without Jay singing lead - "Out'a Hand' and "Whistlin' In The Wind"  
UA 50116 What Will My Mary Say/Return To Me Jay Black  
UA See The Funny Little Clown - Bobby Goldsboro The Americans without Jay sang the background on this record. 1966

Copyright 2000 Kenny Vance and The Planotones