Remembering Jay Black

• Jay Black, the lead singer of Jay & The Americans, which enjoyed 21 charting hits in the 1960s, including “Cara Mia,” “Come a Little Bit Closer,” “This Magic Moment,” and “Only in America,” died late Saturday night, Oct. 23 at the age of 82 due to complications from pneumonia and a battle with dementia.

Black’s smooth operatic voice and magnificent vocal range on “Cara Mia” led fans to refer to him as “The Voice.” Jay & The Americans made countless television appearances on teen shows like Hullaballoo and Where The Action Is, and countless talk and variety shows including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Mike Douglas Show, and The Merv Griffin Show. Jay & The Americans also opened for The Beatles at their first U.S. concert in 1964.

Jay Black was actually the second and more widely known “Jay” to lead Jay and the Americans, following original lead singer Jay Traynor. Black was previously a member of the doo-wop group The Empires, singing lead on their 1962 lone Epic Records single “Time and a Place.” He had previously used “David Black” as his professional name but changed his first name to suit Jay & The Americans’ existing branding. He would later bill himself as “Jay Black and the Americans” after the original band broke up.

“Jay was an amazing, great performer,” said Bruce Morrow, a.k.a. “Cousin Brucie,” legendary Top 40 personality who is currently heard Saturday evenings on WABC/New York. “‘Cara Mia’ became his song, his badge, his anthem. A magnificent talent, a gift from God which he shared with all of us. There was nobody like him.”

Black is survived by four children, five grandchildren, & two great-grandchildren. His family wishes that you celebrate his life by continuing to enjoy his recordings.