The guys auditioned for the seminal music team of Leiber and Stoller, who gave the group its name in 1960. In the manner of the time, Leiber and Stoller wanted to extend this to "Binky Jones and the Americans", but Traynor declined to be known as "Binky Jones" his whole career. He instead offered up "Jay", a family nickname, and it suited everyone.
They first hit the Billboard charts in 1962 with the tune "She Cried". Later covered by several other artists, the track's highest charting was #5, inspiring the group. The next two singles didn't fare nearly as well, however, and John Traynor left the band. David Black (né David Blatt) of The Empires took his place (after first agreeing to adopt the name Jay Black), and Empires guitarist Marty Sanders also joined. Black sang lead for the rest of the group's existence.
They returned to the charts in 1963 with "Only In America", a song originally meant for The Drifters. Other notable hits for the Americans were "Come a Little Bit Closer" in 1964, which hit #3, and "Cara Mia" in 1965, which hit #4. The Americans also recorded a commercial for H.I.S. Slacks, and a public service announcement for the Ad Council, featuring a backing track by Brian Wilson and Phil Spector.
In 1968, they recorded an album of their favorite oldies remade fresh, called Sands of Time, and its single was "This Magic Moment", which also came through the Drifters. That track proved to be the last Top Ten record for the group. However, the band's follow-up album, titled 'Wax Museum', yielded the #19 hit "Walkin' In The Rain". First recorded by The Ronettes, the emotive love song has remained a classic on oldies themed stations along with the group's earlier work.
Their next singles failed to chart, nonetheless, and the band grew apart. The demand for live appearances remained. While the other members moved on to solo musical careers in 1973, Jay Black continued to perform as "Jay and the Americans" or "Jay Black and the Americans" until the 1980s, with a variety of musicians, including Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who would later found Steely Dan. ."
The group reunited in the 1990s for special performances, most notably the 45 Years of Motown special on PBS.
in 2006, Jay Black filed for bankruptcy due to gambling debts, and his ownership of the name "Jay & The Americans" was sold by the bankruptcy trustee to Sandy Deanne (Yaguda), Black's former band mate and original member of Jay & The Americans for $100,000 to pay Black's debts. With the name purchase, former members Deanne, Howard Kane, and Marty Sanders reunited, and recruited a sound-alike singer from Chicago, coincidentally nicknamed "Jay." Thus, John "Jay" Reincke became the third "Jay" and the band returned to playing both national and international music venues. Their show covers the history of Jay and The Americans, acknowledging all three Jays and featuring all of the top hits in their original arrangements.
David Blatt still tours under his stage name, "Jay Black". Kenny Vance is currently the lead singer of Kenny Vance and the Planotones, a neo-doo wop band that he formed in the 1970s. After leaving the group, John Traynor recorded a handful of songs on the Coral label, including "I Rise, I Fall" in 1964. None were hits, but "I Rise, I Fall" became a minor hit for Johnny Tillotson. The label billed Traynor as "JAY formerly of Jay and the Americans." Traynor now tours with Jay Siegel's Tokens.
Look in My Eyes Maria
Jay & The Americans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I should stay strong
Cause I've been through so many things
I'm loosing focus
I'm coming from a place
where niggas getting blown off
Cause I'm these streets
Niggas menh we ain't gat no love
Started from the grind
Everyday we hustle
Hoping we could make it out
And I know it ain't easy
But we just try to rise
Chasing up this passion
So we on always on the grind
Say my own hommie
Fucked me with police
Just because I owed him
Tell me u don't know this
My brother you don't know me
See everyday I'm on my grind
Trying to push it
So we don't end up falling behind
Started from the bottom
So we trying to make it out
Hustle for the paper
So we try to make it
this is my life
Look in my eyes
Look in my eyes
Can you feel the lies
Can you feel the lies
Can you see the light
Can you feel the lies
The above lyrics seem to be about a person's struggle to make it out of a tough neighborhood and make something of themselves. The singer talks about losing focus and being in a place where people are getting killed. They talk about the lack of love and how it's just part of life in these areas. Despite the difficulty, the singer and their homies are always on the grind, trying to make it out.
One interesting aspect of these lyrics is the contrast between the hopeful tone of wanting to make it out and the harsh realities of life in certain neighborhoods. The singer references police brutality and betrayal by a friend, but still maintains the hope that they can achieve their dreams.
Another interesting aspect is the use of "my homie" and "we" throughout the lyrics, emphasizing the sense of community and support in the singer's life. This sense of kinship makes the struggle more bearable, and highlights the importance of having a strong support network.
Overall, the lyrics seem to be about the difficult road to success for people living in impoverished areas, and the importance of staying focused and pushing through the challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
My homie told me
My friend advised me
I should stay strong
To remain strong
Cause I've been through so many things
Due to the numerous hardships I've faced
I'm losing focus
Losing concentration
I'm coming from a place
Originating from a location
where niggas getting blown off
Where people are getting killed
Cause I'm these streets
Because of the nature of these streets
Niggas menh we ain't gat no love
There is no love among the people
And this is life
This is how things are
Started from the grind
Began from the bottom
Everyday we hustle
Exerting oneself everyday
Hoping we could make it out
Aiming to succeed
And I know it ain't easy
I'm aware that it's not easy
But we just try to rise
Nevertheless, we strive to progress
Chasing up this passion
Pursuing this ambition
So we on always on the grind
Therefore, we always work hard
Say my own hommie
Even my good friend
Fucked me with police
Betrayed me to the police
Just because I owed him
Simply because I owed him money
Tell me u don't know this
You can't possibly be oblivious to this
My brother you don't know me
You do not understand me
See everyday I'm on my grind
Everyday I work hard
Trying to push it
Striving to achieve my goals
So we don't end up falling behind
To prevent us from being left behind
Started from the bottom
Began with nothing
So we trying to make it out
Therefore, we're trying to succeed
Hustle for the paper
Working hard for money
So we try to make it
So that we can succeed
this is my life
This is how I live
Look in my eyes
Look at me clearly
Can you feel the lies
Are you aware of the deception
Can you see the light
Do you see the hope
Can you feel the lies
Are you aware of the deception
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Joel Ozolua
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind