"Master Frontman" Jay Stollman Interview
www.JayStollman.com
Interview by Roger Zee (06/14/21)
Roger Zee: Who inspired you to sing and play keys?
Jay Stollman: As long as I can remember, music filled my life. My parents listened to Big Band and Swing. My sharpest memory of the music they loved comes from an album by Nat King Cole, entitled "Love Is the Thing". It’s still one of my favorite records and I still play it all the time. So beautiful and powerful, it makes me weep. I remember Winter evenings when my folks would build a fire, put on that LP and send me to bed. I would sneak back and peek down into the living room to find them slow dancing in front of the fireplace. It’s a beautiful, romantic memory. One that taught me how emotional and meaningful music can be to move people.
My two older sisters owned piles of 45 RPM records which I always managed to get my hands on! We grew up in the early days of Rock and Roll, an exciting innovative time for music. I found myself particularly drawn to Black artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Little Anthony, and Lloyd Price. I took no interest in White artists like Pat Boone, Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka, and Neil Sedaka. Even Elvis Presley felt kinda weird to me. Then The Beatles hit, and well, I totally lost my shit. That did it! I heard that sound, saw how much fun those four guys were having and watched girls screaming and fainting. That hooked me! Not too bad for some silly White guys, LOL!
At five, I started playing an old piano in our house. By the time I turned seven, my mother was over it. She and my Dad made me a deal. If I’d let them get rid of the piano and replace it with a beautiful dining room hutch for our china, they would get me some drums to play in the basement. That's the biggest mistake they ever made. I dragged those drums into the living room next to our stereo and banged the shit out of them all day, every day!
After that, I played every instrument I could get my hands on. I joined the school band on sax, then trumpet, then back to drums. One day, the school band teacher, sick of me constantly changing instruments, handed me a mallet and a huge marching bass drum. He gave me my last chance. "Play this or leave!" So, I played bass drum and kept everyone locked into my groove. FUN!
A few years later, I saw Billy Preston play a Hammond B3. That did it! Had to get an organ. Convinced the folks that it would make a great investment. I could work as a one man band and sound like a whole orchestra! They bought the idea AND the organ. So, I played in small bands drumming and in some others on the keys. Not sure how I started singing though. I think we tried out other kids singing and I felt that I could do better. So I did.
RZ: Tell me about some of the musicians and groups you've gigged and recorded with.
JS: I grew up in Connecticut and played in lots of local bands at school dances, backyard parties, hotel lounges, etc. As I got a little older, I broke into the club scene and started to make a name for myself as a singing keyboard player. Thanks to my good buddy, master bassist Scott Spray, I got the good fortune to join a great Connecticut band -- the Black Rock All-Stars. A funky Soul group, we opened shows for James Brown, Wilson Pickett, The Temptations, Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Tower of Power and more. Working with those iconic Soul bands felt like going to school. I learned how to sing, play, phrase, and most importantly, how to front and lead a group. Most of that came from watching and listening to Mr. James Brown. He loved our band and his approval meant everything to us silly little White kids trying to get some cred in the Soul and R&B world.
Way too many recording sessions to remember. Mostly commercial jingles and TV spots. Some of my more notable gigs include Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals with me on background vocals. Then the Johnny Winter Band, thanks once again to Scott Spray. I replaced Winter after he passed, singing and fronting the group for The Johnny Winter Remembrance Shows. Also worked in Groovin’ with Gene Cornish of The Rascals singing lead vocals and playing keys, and Dennis Edwards' Temptations Revue again on keys. I also recorded with and sang as a guest vocalist with Jose Feliciano. Recently I agreed to return to the stage with Feliciano for upcoming gigs.
Additionally, several years ago, I had the honor and good fortune to meet a wonderful vocalist and bandleader, as well as one of my favorite humans, Veronica Martell, who brought me into her club date/event band. We traveled across the USA and abroad, performing at major private and corporate events. Veronica and I continue collaborating on special projects that will put us onstage together for many years to come.
RZ: What keyboards, amps, and vocal mics do you currently use?
JS: In Gene Cornish’s band, I use a Novation 49 key controller into my Macbook Pro/Mainstage to access an expanded series of Apple’s Jampack of sounds. As we use a guy playing B3 and piano, I do all of the strings, bells, brass, woodwinds, and accordion sounds. The reason I use the 49 key version? It fits perfectly in an overhead compartment on any plane!
My mic of choice -- the good old Shure SM58. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
RZ: Talk about what and how you practice.
JS: Prior to the pandemic, I didn’t practice at all as I gigged three-five nights a week for forty years. That’s plenty of practice! During the pandemic, I set up my keys and played and sang often, but it’s just not the same as screaming over a band. I need that intensity to keep my voice strong. Fortunately, some recent opportunities came my way to sing at full velocity. It felt pretty good!
RZ: Talk about your successful entertainment business and all you do in it.
JS: I learned early on that singing in a Rock and Roll band's a risky business. Rather than put all of my eggs in one basket with a family to support, I involved myself in music related projects with decent income potential while still staying in the industry. Hence, I worked in booking, management, producing, composing, and sync licensing. I wrote, sang, and produced music for major TV networks, including NBC’s Today Show and HBO’s Sex & The City. I'm a former Managing Director of a division of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, where I oversaw a worldwide network of composers and licensed their music to TV, Film, and Interactive Media. I also worked as Business Development Consultant for Jingle Punks, one of the world’s largest suppliers of music for media.
Currently, I consult for startup production music libraries in business and creative development capacities. I manage three-time British Blues Hall of Fame Guitarist Matt Schofield and I recently accepted the position of Director, Live Performance Division/Feliciano Enterprises, overseeing all bookings for Jose Feliciano. And I still do gigs! Leaving tomorrow to play a Memorial Day Weekend festival in Ocala, FL with a great South Florida band, "Mr. Nice Guy." Currently rescheduling Covid-cancelled tour dates with my band, Groovin' ON TOUR, a 60’s/70’s tribute. It’s exhausting even saying all of that. Can you imagine doing it?
RZ: How has the Pandemic affected you? What's on the horizon?
JS: Here’s the funny thing about the Pandemic. While everyone cried and whined about the shut down/shut in situation and gave live stream concerts from home for tip money, which I thought was gross, I enjoyed the first and best time off in fifty years! I worked it out financially by taking some virtual music consulting work. Basically enjoyed a year off and recharged my mental, physical and emotional batteries. No pressure to hustle gigs, cause none existed! "So just chill the f*ck out, Jay!" And I did! However, as our world opens back up, the phone's ringing and I'm getting lots of calls to play. I look forward to getting back in biz...
RZ: Describe your most special and/or unusual gig.
JS: That’s a tough one. So many times I've been blessed with great opportunities. If I had to pick one, I’d say the Sinatra connection! In the early 80’s I went on vacation in Mexico and met a guy who claimed to be Frank Sinatra’s bodyguard. I half believed him, but still gave him my number. Sure enough, months later, he calls me and tells me Frank Sinatra's playing at The Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, NJ. Then asks me if I want to come to the show. I say yes, drive down there, and find that he's booked me in a suite on Sinatra’s floor of the hotel.
That night, he comes to my room and picks me up for the show. He seats me in a chair right next to Mrs. Sinatra on the f*cking stage! Out comes Frank Sinatra and he does his show right there, a few feet in front of me. It blows me away! After the show, I'm invited to join him and Sinatra’s best friend, Jilly Rizzo for a drink. We stayed out until the sun came up. And all I know is, Jilly made a call and with that, I worked six week engagements, six nights a week, four and five shows a night for TEN YEARS in EVERY casino in town!
Here's how he expected me to return the favor: "Whenever Sinatra's in town, we expect you here as one of the boys! He likes to have the boys around him." Tough gig -- hanging out, eating, drinking, and partying as part of the Sinatra entourage. Oh yeah. I also stood on stage in the wings for every Sinatra show -- watching, listening, and learning. Not the worst education you can get as a singer/frontman!
One more funny story. I went to see my friends, The Temptations, perform in NYC back in the 80’s. One of the guys missed his flight so they asked the road manager who could fill in. He said, "Jay knows all of these songs!" They looked at me and stood silent for a few seconds. Then, hysterical laughter! So, they put a Black dude onstage in the suit and me backstage with a mic. They told me to sing whatever parts I could hear and I did. I sang my ass off as the first, and to my knowledge, only White backstage Temptation in history!
RZ: How do you see the future of the music business?
JS: Today's artists and those of tomorrow must take a DIY approach to building their fan base and monetizing the engagement of those fans. Subscription participation, direct downloads, streamed concerts... Technology and social media RULE! But in the end, ya gotta hit that stage and crank it out because its all about playing music. We need it, they want it. GO DO IT! Get out and play!
RZ: What advice do you give up-and-coming musicians?
JS: Go to Law school! No, seriously, if you’re going to succeed in this business, I mean, really make a decent living, you need to do it all. Get involved in every means of music monetization that you can find. Do you know how many corporate jingles I wrote and produced? I've written and sung songs about oil companies, auto parts stores, meat and seafood markets, soup manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, doughnuts, electricity, human resources firms, and mattresses. They pay $2500 to $30,000 for each tune.
Did these songs make me a star? Hell no! Do I care? Hell no! I put two kids through college and grad school and gave them great starts on the way to their own successes. I live a great life and still play the music that I love with people that I love! Why can I afford to do that? Cause I’m not too proud to sing about tomato soup! "Don’t be stupid, kid... Sing about soup!"
RZ: Do you live with any animals?
JS: Not currently, but according to my wife, I’m in the market for a Cavapoo!
RZ: Anything you want to add?
JS: No, I’m exhausted! But I will say this. I feel super grateful. I've enjoyed a great career with lots of fun, amazing experiences, and made a nice living. Everything I have is from a fifty year hustle through a tough industry. I’ve given it my all and it’s given back plenty. We owe each other nothing. We're square!
YouTube - Ride Till I'm Satisfied - Jay Stollman
YouTube - Groovin' - Jay Stollman with Jose Feliciano
©2021 Roger Zee
