Things change, but the Americans are glad to be on the road again

By John Benson

The group reunited — with a new Jay — after their induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

The phone call came in 2002 for Jay and the Americans to be inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

At that point it had been nearly 30 years since the ’60s pop act — known for such hit songs as “She Cried,” “Only In America,” “Come A Little Bit Closer,” “This Magic Moment,” “Cara Mia” and more — had called it quits.

For original member Sandy Yaguda, who helped form the band in his Brooklyn, N.Y., basement four decades earlier, the induction was special but came with no strings attached to the future. Or at least that’s what he thought.

“It had been over for a long time, and we didn’t miss it for 30 years,” said Yaguda, calling from New York City. “And then we came to the induction ceremony, and it just woke up something inside of us. What came out of it was singing. We hadn’t sung together. There is something about four guys just standing there by themselves with just their voices coming out of their mouths that’s a very special thing. And I guess that’s the spark that allowed us to say, ‘Hey, you know what, we can do this. It sounds good.’”

That’s when Yaguda and his original band mates, Howie Kirschenbaum and Marty Kupersmith, enlisted new member Jay Reincke to join the fold. Jay and the Americans were back in action.

“I always admired the group since I was a kid,” Reincke said. “I had the opportunity to join these guys a couple of years ago, and I was very anxious to be a part of things because I can sing all of the songs that Jay and the Americans did. There were two Jays before me — Jay Traynor and Jay Black — and I kind of can mix the styles because I like both of them.”

Even though Jay and the Americans enjoyed 12 top-10 records during its career, Yaguda said the Vocal Group Hall of Fame induction provided the act with a sense of affirmation that it was missing.

“It was just really great and it showed us how important our accomplishments were,” Yaguda said. “You don’t realize when it’s happening, but later it was nice to hear someone say, ‘You guys were important and these records were really important to the American public and around the world.’ So now as grown-ups, we’re looking at it slightly differently.”

Averaging roughly 50 shows a year, Jay and the Americans are definitely back in action. You can see the foursome at a special Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation benefit concert Saturday in Sharon, Pa. The group is currently working on a new album and has released the single “Little Se ±orita.” Reincke speaks about his own reasons for joining Jay and the Americans and by doing so, comments on the appeal from an audience standpoint.

“I grew up listening to this music, and being a part of it is amazing because there aren’t a lot of groups that can claim as many hits and familiar songs as Jay and Americans,” Reincke said. “I think there are a lot of people out there who don’t even know how many hits Jay and the Americans had until they hear us.”

Added Yaguda, “There are a couple of songs that everybody knows all over the world. And we’re very proud of that ... that the music has survived this long and that people still feel it’s very relevant.”