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.
Some Enchnated Evening
Jay & The Americans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You may see a stranger across a crowded room
And somehow you know, you know even then
That somewhere you'll see her again and again
Some enchanted evening, someone may be laughing
You may hear her laughing across a crowded room
And night after night, as strange as it seems
Who can explain it, who can tell you why
Fools give you reasons, wise men never try
Some enchanted evening, when you find your true love
When you feel her call you across a crowded room
Then fly to her side and make her your own
Or all through your life you may dream all alone
Once you have found her, never let her go
Once you have found her, never let her go
The song "Some Enchanted Evening" by Jay & The Americans describes the feeling of being enchanted by someone you see across a crowded room. The lyrics offer a sense of familiarity and predestination in a situation where two people have never met before. The first verse suggests that one may see a stranger and feel an unexplainable connection that leads them to believe in meeting the person again in the future. The second verse speaks of hearing someone laughing and how that sound becomes a part of one's dreams. The lyrics in the following lines state that it is impossible to explain the phenomenon, as even wise men do not try to find a logical reason for it.
The third verse offers an optimistic outlook, saying that when you find your true love, you must take the chance and make her your own. The fourth verse offers caution in the inaction, warning that if you let go, you may spend your life dreaming of what could have been. Jay & The Americans's "Some Enchanted Evening" describes the inexplicable pull of a profound connection that can be discovered in the strangest of ways and how we must be willing to jump into the unknown when we find it.
Line by Line Meaning
Some enchanted evening you may see a stranger
In a magical moment, you might spy an unfamiliar face
You may see a stranger across a crowded room
You could catch a glimpse of this stranger amid a surplus of people
And somehow you know, you know even then
Despite being unknown to them, you possess an innate knowledge of their significance
That somewhere you'll see her again and again
You sense that you'll encounter her numerous times in the future
Some enchanted evening, someone may be laughing
On a whimsical night, someone might emit laughter
You may hear her laughing across a crowded room
It's possible that her chuckles may reach your ears despite the abundance of people
And night after night, as strange as it seems
Unbelievably, her laughter haunts your dreams repeatedly
The sound of her laughter will sing in your dreams
The auditory memory of her laughter will reverberate throughout your subconscious
Who can explain it, who can tell you why
No logical explanation exists for the inexplicable sensation you experienced
Fools give you reasons, wise men never try
Often, people attempt to provide untenable justifications, while astute individuals refrains from doing so
Some enchanted evening, when you find your true love
During a magical instant, you discover your genuine soulmate
When you feel her call you across a crowded room
You perceive an unspoken summons from her among a throng of people
Then fly to her side and make her your own
Without hesitation, approach her and claim her as your partner
Or all through your life you may dream all alone
If you don't seize the opportunity, you will spend your remaining years yearning for her
Once you have found her, never let her go
When you've identified her, never relinquish her
Once you have found her, never let her go
When you've found her, never release her
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Written by: RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@evanbarnett8846
My favorite jay black song
@jamesi5898
Mines too
@judygrondin1249
Jay Black is unbeliale what his voice touches our hearts. Bless this man and his group.😇🎶😇🎶😇🎶😇❣️
@LB040551
Jay Black is one of those rare artist that comes along once in a life time! Bravo!
@keithkarvelis82
May he rest in peace.
@jamesi5898
I'll second that three times.
@numbnutts6039
There were two jays 1st song original. Second during the rest. Then older grp a third. I think. But both first jays sound the same. When first left they searched for the same vocals. Hard to tell who's who
@joecap4372
Rest in Peace Jay Black the music you made couldn't compare today crappy music.
@roberttisei773
You are so right the music of the 50,s thru the mid 70's was musiv not like the crap they call music today another grrat was Jonhhy from.the Brooklyn Bridge
@roberttisei773
The music back.then was.real music another great wss the plattters. Temptations alot of great onr gone to soon