Jay Traynor

{{More sources needed|date=March 2023}}{{Infobox musical artist |caption = |image = JayTraynorImg.jpg |background = solo_singer |alias = |birth_name = John Traynor |birth_date= {{birth date|1943|3|30}} |birth_place= Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |death_date= {{death date and age|2014|1|2|1943|3|30}} |death_place= Tampa, Florida, U.S. |instrument = vocals |occupation = Pop, doo-wop |years_active = 1960s–2014 |label = |associated_acts = The Mystics<br>Jay and the Americans<br>The Tokens}}

'''John''' "'''Jay'''" '''Traynor''' (March 30, 1943 – January 2, 2014) was an American singer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Seida |first=Linda |title=Jay Traynor Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More... |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-traynor-mn0001752272#biography |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music/_NNmFiUnSmUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jay+traynor&pg=PA2003-IA10&printsec=frontcover |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2011-05-27 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-85712-595-8 |pages=2003 |language=en}}</ref>

== Career == Traynor was the third lead vocalist of the Mystics, singing falsetto on "The White Cliffs of Dover", and lead on "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Blue Star".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cole |first=Clay |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Sh_Boom/T8JQmqUBag0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=jay+traynor&pg=PA180 |title=Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968) |date= |publisher=Morgan James Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60037-638-2 |language=en}}</ref> Later, he started Jay and the Americans with Kenny Vance and Sandy Deanne, and was the original lead singer. He sang lead on the group's first hit, "She Cried", which was followed up by the album ''She Cried''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jay & The Americans |url=https://www.k-tel.com/jay-and-the-americans/ |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=K-tel |language=en-US}}</ref> All recordings were produced by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller.<ref name=":0" />

Traynor left the Americans, releasing solo records, including "I Rise, I Fall" on the Coral label in 1964. His name on the label was denoted as "JAY ... formerly of Jay & the Americans".<ref>{{citation | url=https://worldjournal-gs.blogspot.com/2007/03/first-jay-and-americans.html | title = The first Jay and the Americans | date = 2007-03-18 | accessdate = 2010-06-25}}</ref> Later in the 1960s, he released "Up & Over", produced by Dennis Lambert for Don Costa Productions. The song became a big hit with the UK Northern Soul underground dance clubs. Traynor was replaced in the Americans by David Blatt, who agreed to perform under the stage name Jay Black. After working for Woodstock Ventures, the company that put on the Woodstock festival, Traynor began a career working behind the scenes with such 1970s acts as Mountain, West, Bruce & Laing, The Who, Ten Years After, Yes, and gospel singer Mylon LeFevre.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff |date=2014-01-03 |title=Jay and the Americans Singer Jay Traynor Dead at 69 |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/jay-traynor-dies/ |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en}}</ref>

In 1977, Traynor moved to Albany, New York, near his roots in Greenville and worked at WNYT as a studio camera operator. While in Albany, he trained for and received his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He then performed with cover bands (George and "Friends"), jazz trios, and finally as the singer with the Joey Thomas Big Band, where his love for Frank Sinatra's music began. The Big Band put out a few CDs with Traynor, including ''Live On WAMC'' & ''The Sinatra Show''. In 2006, Traynor received a call from Jay Siegel, and he toured with Jay Siegel's Tokens for the remainder of his life.<ref name=":1" />

== Death == Traynor died on January 2, 2014, of liver cancer at a hospital in Tampa, Florida, at the age of 70.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Haymes |first=Greg |date=2014-01-02 |title=RIP: Jay Traynor, 1943-2014 |url=https://www.dailygazette.com/rip-jay-traynor-1943-2014/article_162e7621-57a2-5f09-afa4-3860fedf0696.html |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=The Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.classicbands.com/jay.html Jay Traynor and the Americans at Classic Bands] *[https://worldjournal-gs.blogspot.com/2007/03/first-jay-and-americans.html Jay Traynor and the Americans article]

{{Jay and the Americans}} {{Authority control}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Traynor, John}} Category:1943 births Category:2014 deaths Category:Singers from New York (state) Category:People from Greenville, Greene County, New York Category:Jay and the Americans members Category:The Tokens members Category:Deaths from liver cancer in Florida Category:20th-century American singers Category:21st-century American singers Category:20th-century American male singers Category:21st-century American male singers