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Jay Black
Black in 1965
Background information
Birth name	David Blatt
Born	(1938-11-02)November 2, 1938 Queens, New York City, U.S.
Died	October 22, 2021(2021-10-22) (aged 82) Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres	Rock and roll
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1960–2017
Formerly of	Jay and the Americans

Jay Black (born David Blatt; November 2, 1938 – October 22, 2021) was an American singer whose height of fame came in the 1960s when he was the lead singer of the band Jay and the Americans. The band had numerous hits including "Come a Little Bit Closer", "Cara Mia", and "This Magic Moment".

Biography

Black was born in Astoria, Queens and grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park. In his later career, he was known for touring New York State and Florida, singing, mainly solo, and preceding his singing with a comedy routine. Jay and his brother spoke Yiddish fluently. In 1966, he recorded a Yiddish song "Where Is My Village" about the Holocaust. He had four children, one of whom is American musician and singer-songwriter Beau Black.

Career

Jay Black was the second, and more widely known, Jay to lead the band Jay and the Americans, the first being Jay Traynor. Black had previously come from the doo-wop group The Empires, where he had sung lead on their 1962 lone Epic Records single "Time and a Place" b/w "Punch Your Nose" (Epic 5-9527). He had previously used David Black as his professional name, but changed his first name to suit the band's existing name. He would later bill himself as "Jay Black and the Americans" after the original band had broken up. The band had numerous hits, including "Come a Little Bit Closer", "Cara Mia", and "This Magic Moment". The Americans split up in 1973, and Black would continue to perform, billing himself as "Jay and the Americans".

In 2006, Black completed bankruptcy proceedings in Manhattan, after he accrued a $500,000 debt in back taxes to the IRS as a result of his gambling addiction. The IRS initially sought to force him to sell the rights to perform as "Jay Black" as well as the trademark for "Jay and the Americans" in order to satisfy his debt to the IRS. Black did, however, win a partial victory in the case, which granted him the right to continue to use the name "Jay Black", but he was required to sell the rights to perform as "Jay and the Americans". The trademark to "Jay and the Americans" was purchased by former members of "Jay and the Americans".

He lost the right to perform as "Jay Black and the Americans" and later performed as "Jay Black The Voice", but would still sing songs by the Americans. In 2011, Black performed for PBS, showcasing his longstanding range at age 72. His final performance was in 2017.

Health issues and death

In a 2014 interview, Black suggested that he might have been suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, but that was not officially diagnosed.

Black died from pneumonia in Queens on October 22, 2021. At the time of his death, it was confirmed that he also had dementia.

Jay and the Americans discography

Albums

Singles

References

1. ^ Sandomir, Richard (October 25, 2021). "Jay Black, 82, Whose Velvety Voice Was the Americans' Hitmaker, Dies". The New York Times. p. A22. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
2. ^ "Cara Mia: The Best Of Jay Black CD Album". www.cduniverse.com.
3. "OUT TAKE: BEAU BLACK - COMPOSER/SONGWRITER/INSTRUMENTALIST". www.musicconnection.com. June 10, 2019.
4. ^ "Singer Jay Black Wins Right to Own Name, Jay and the Americans Singer Is Awarded Right to Own Name in Bankruptcy Court - CBS News". CBS News. February 9, 2009. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
5. Jay Black - Cara Mia live 2017 (Final Performance), August 2020, retrieved March 29, 2023
6. Schleier, Curt (October 22, 2014). "How Jay Black Got Kicked Out of Yeshiva". The Forward.
7. Kreps, Daniel (October 23, 2021). "Jay Black, Jay and the Americans Singer, Dead at 82". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 23, 2021.

External links

• Jay Black at Wenig-Lamonica Associates
• Jay Black discography at Discogs
• Jay Black at IMDb

• 1938 births
• 2021 deaths
• 20th-century American Jews
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• 21st-century American Jews
• 21st-century American male singers
• 21st-century American singers
• American male pop singers
• Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
• People with dementia
• Jay and the Americans members
• Jewish American musicians
• Jewish singers
• People from Astoria, Queens
• People from Borough Park, Brooklyn
• Singers from New York City
• Yiddish-language singers of the United States