Abner Jay
USABiography of Abner Jay
Abner Jay, an American multi-instrumentalist and one-man band, is best known for his eccentric image and his bluesy folk sound. His unique lyrics and style set him apart from the typical mainstream music industry, placing him alongside other outsider musicians.
Early Life
Abner Jay was born in 1921 in Fitzgerald, Georgia. His father and grandfather were former slaves in Washington County, Georgia. His grandfather played the banjo and introduced young Abner to a variety of old songs and folk tunes. At the age of five, Jay began playing musical instruments and participated in traveling shows of wandering troupes that promoted various medicinal products and other goods during intermissions.
Music Career
In 1932, Jay joined the African American vaudeville show "Silas Green from New Orleans." Later, he led a group of poet-singers called the "WMAZ Minstrels" on the Macon radio station from 1946 to 1956. Afterward, Abner transitioned to a solo career, spending many years traveling throughout the American South and performing concerts.
Jay traveled with his transforming mobile home, which converted into a portable stage for his performances. As evident from surviving recordings, his unique concerts consisted of a mix of music and spoken word, including philosophical musings, discussions on various topics, and jokes. He typically played a variety of instruments, including harmonica, drums, a six-string banjo claimed to be made in 1748, and actual bones. Jay would bleach chicken and cow bones under the sun and use them as percussion instruments.
His repertoire included Pentecostal hymns, songs of wandering performers, and more. However, Jay also touched on secular themes in his performances, ranging from politics, relationships, wars, and the Bible to depression.
Later Years and Legacy
In the following years, the multi-instrumentalist settled in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where he performed in concerts and released several LPs and cassette recordings under his own label, "Brandie Records," named after his daughter. He continued to work in the studio, releasing not only music but also his monologues.
In 2003, the Swedish record company "Subliminal Sounds" presented a compilation of Jay's works. Then, in 2009, the "Mississippi Records" label from Portland released another compilation, this time on vinyl. Both of these compilations helped revive interest in the musician's work, with Vice Magazine even dubbing one of them the "album of the month."
Recordings made by Jay three months before his death are currently being prepared for release by "Mississippi Records." Jay once referred to himself as the "last black singer of Negro songs from the South." Renowned American composer and philosopher Anthony Braxton calls Jay an "American Master."
