Artist:Jay & The AmericansSong:Cara Mia
Album:Come A Little Bit Closer: The Best Of Jay & The Americans
Jay & The Americans had a string of top ten hits despite seeming out of step with musical trends of the mid-60s. They sounded like a throwback to the 50s in the midst of the British Invasion. John Traynor was lead singer of The Mystics after their 1959 hit Hushabye. After leaving the group, he met Sandy Deane (Sandy Yaguda), Kenny Vance (Kenny Rosenberg) and Howie Kane (Howie Kerschenbaum) at New York University. A demo got the attention of legendary producers Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller and they got the group a contract with United Artists. The Americans released a cover of Tonight from West Side Story in 1961 with Traynor's soaring lead vocals. So Lieber & Stoller thought that the lead singer should be featured and Traynor's nickname was Jay. They were now Jay & The Americans. She Cried reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. Follow up singles didn't do well and the group was having trouble with Traynor. After an argument with Deane, Traynor left for a solo career that went nowhere. He was replaced by David Blatt who was renamed Jay Black and they also brought in his friend Marty Sanders (Marty Kupersmith). They returned to the top ten when Come A Little Bit Closer reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. Then came Cara Mia which sounded more like Italian opera than pop music and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. You have Jewish guys singing like Italians. Cara Mia was a top five hit for British pop singer David Whitfield in 1954. It was written and arranged by Italian orchestra leader Mantovani and producer Bunny Lewis. Jay & The Americans returned to the charts a few more times in the 60s. They had a good run considering their music was passe back then. You can get all their hits on this comp. Jay Black was leading a version of Jay & The Americans but had to sell the name due to bankruptcy. Sandy Deane bought the name and he, Kane, Sanders and a new lead singer tour the oldies circuit as Jay & The Americans. Black also tours the oldies circuit. Kenny Vance has had his own band for years and Jay Traynor is a member of The Tokens. Here's Jay & The Americans performing Cara Mia on Shindig 1965.
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