He got his start with a group called the Empires on the Epic Record label, but it was his long stint as the second JAY in JAY AND THE AMERICANS that made Jay Black famous. Jay, whose real name is David Blatt, is 79 today. Bob O'Brien here letting you know that I have firsthand knowledge of what a character he is. In my days with the Duprees in the 1980s, we were on a bus tour with Jay and the Americans as well as the Dovells, and Jay is "on" 24 hours a day. Needless to say, we all got very little sleep. From his early days, here's a live performance on Shindig from 1964. Happy birthday, Jay.

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