Jay Black

Jay Black (born David Blatt; November 2, 1938) is an American singer, also known as "The Voice," 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 "Cara Mia", "Come a Little Bit Closer", and "This Magic Moment".[1]

This article is about the singer. For the comedian, see Jay Black (comedian).

Jay Black
Birth nameDavid Blatt
Born (1938-11-02) November 2, 1938
New York City
GenresRock and roll
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1960-2017
Associated actsJay and the Americans

Black was born in New York City and grew up in Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Borough Park. In his later career, he has become known for touring New York State and Florida, singing, mainly solo, and preceding his singing with a stand-up comedy routine. Jay and his brother speak Yiddish fluently. In 1966, he recorded a Yiddish song "Where Is My Village" about the Holocaust.

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 can no longer perform as "Jay Black and the Americans" and now performs as "Jay Black The Voice". In 2011 Black performed for PBS showcasing his longstanding range at age 72. In a 2014 interview, he insinuated he may be suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s but has not officially been diagnosed.[2] His final performance to date was in 2017 at nearly 80 years old.

Career

Jay Black was the second, and more widely known, Jay to lead the band Jay and the Americans, the first being Jay Traynor. He 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.

References
  1. "Cara Mia: The Best Of Jay Black CD Album". www.cduniverse.com.
  2. Schleier, Curt. "How Jay Black Got Kicked Out of Yeshiva". The Forward.
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