Connecticut Music Royalty Jay Stollman

Jay Stollman is the real deal…..one of today's most soulful & powerful blues singers, as quoted by the late Blues icon, Johnny Winter. - With a dedication to his craft, to community, and to his fellow musicians, - his reputation -extraordinary, earning him the title of Connecticut music royalty-hands down. Jose Feliciano, the 8 time Grammy winning artist says this about Jay:

Jay has a rare gift where his soul and passion for the blues become one very personal genre unlike most with whom I've worked. It’s edgy yet polished, raunchy, yet very professional. It's always a pleasure to invite him onstage with me, when we find each other in the same town. I'm so happy knowing that he's doing what he loves and knows best,The Blue’s A La Jay Stollman.I met Jay years ago, while working as a marketing associate for Sountec Studios in Connecticut,Jay was always in the studio. He was known in our Connecticut music community as one of the best Soul singers for live performances, and session singing, and I was so very grateful for his willingness to join me on a diversity music project with children from Bridgeport and Trumbull. With a generous and philanthropic spirit, he was eager to lend his talents to participate in the project.This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jay about his musical journey. His life story is an inspiration to those musicians who have chosen a career in one of the toughest professions there is. The Early Years: 45's and Great Balls of FireIt all began for Jay with a fascination for his older sister's stacks of 45's.It was the early sixties, the beginning of rock and roll, a genesis of the new sound with do-wop morphing into a new, unique, harder genre.This little guy couldn't leave his sister's collection of records alone, with his sister's complaining to mom, “he's touching the records again”His mother''s answer.....”just give him a couple, and he’ll leave you alone”Jay reminisces that he will never forget the very first record he ever listened to, engrained in his memory forever-The first record, Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis...“ the next thing, you know,my sisters loosing their minds four guys,women screaming, watchingthe Beatles on Ed Sullivan, I immediately had the bug”. I was immersed in the sound of the 60s , going to concerts at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Blind Faith, Creedence, Joe Cocker, BB King,Obsessed with Cream, Mo-town, Temptations, Four Tops,Twenty Buck first Gigs, Beers, and BurlesqueI wasn't the one who needed reminding to practice. I couldn't get enough of it, so I practiced, and practiced, and practiced. Fast forward to playing in his first band at 15. As luck would have it, his band mate’s dad “SO here it is our first gig at 15 years of age, and we had to be driven to the gig, we set up, and it's a real nightclub... old school, burlesque feel, house band for dancing, they had a risque comedian,we were slipped a few beers, dinners, free of charge. There was even a stripper,! It was my first experience at seeing all of this, and I was sold...what sold me? Five things:1. Played rock and roll,2. Enjoyed free Grub 3. Beer4. Saw a Naked Lady5. Got paid 20 bucks“all the things that were intoxicating to a young guy who was 15- rock, sex, food, booze and $…that’s how I chose my career”

The Black Rock All StarsBut life has a way of going sideways for a bit, and Jay had to put the music on hold : the reason, simple- married at a very young age 21, with his first child at 24, and then another kid before he even reached the age of thirty. He states “ I couldn’t go on the road, had to make a living, which led me to make a living in CT, I joined the group, The Black Rock All-Stars-The band was in existence, and I was hired in the early 80's and we played at the Sandbar in Black Rock, CT. and that was the first time I played in the band, I was hired as keyboard player,eventually, I was put out as front man: we developed an incredible reputation-we were the opening music act for James Brown, Temptations, Four Tops, Wilson PicketThe group consisted of a powerhouse of musicians from CT, which included,Sarah BrooksScott SpraySteve GasparJay StollmanDavid Coe Bobby Peters Timothy “Ace” HolleranIn addition to gigging out with the Black Rock All Stars, he was also always in the studio, as a songwriter, and session singer, working with Rob Carlson and Michael Terry. and I worked with Rob Carlson and Mike Terry,Eventually with seven partners, every decision has to be by committee,,,,they were all getting older, and careers were going in very different ways.A Fairy Godfather named Rizzo, and Old Blue EyesWith priorities changing, it was time to move on. Jay left the band, and started Jay Stollman and the All Stars, and during that time, he calls it a transition time. He went on vacation to Mexico, and meets a stranger that literally changes his life, and jettisons his career.“I sit down at the pool next to a cop, an Atlantic City, NJ officer. He says to me, ‘I understand that you are in music business’. Not sure where this is going, I nod .. Yes...So, he starts to tell me that he is one of Frank Sinatra's body guards, and proceeds to give me a live recording of Sinatra’s. Then this cop invites me to see Sinatra perform in Atlantic City…but I don't believe it… How could this cop have this connection? He calls me a few months later, and he invites me to Golden Nugget in A.C.I am struggling at this time- not much money, -He surprises me by saying I am a guest of Sinatra,(I borrowed my dad's credit card, because I actually thought it was a scam).

So, I drive to Atlantic City. The hotel concierge says, “Good afternoon, you are Frank's guests-Welcome!” We are taken to the 21st floor, we are given a suite… Fruit basket, wine., what is going on? Don't touch anything, I say to my wife... It might cost us 1,000 bucks! It could be a set up.. this could be 1,000 dollars!The body guard comes by, and confirms we are a guest,please be dressed for the show at 6:30.I apologize, the show is sold out. Would you mind sitting on stage?…. three seats, Mrs. Sinatra, Jay and wife,Literally sitting next to Sinatra, he kisses his wife…. she says to him “you’re greatest”…his reply “I don't want to be the greatest, there's nowhere to go from there”… he walks off, the cop/bodyguard says. Do you believe me now? After the show…the cop says that Sinatra’s friend Jilly Rizzo, a Colorful character with great connections, wants to go out and likes to have “the boys” with him, and asks me to join him and “the boys” to go out drinking. I spend the night…till sunrise drinking with Jilly and “the boys”. Rizzo then says, “I understand you are singer, let me hear your tape.”Jilly sat down and listened to my demo tape and then asked me if I wanted to “work in this town”-fast forward to a few calls being made right before my eyes, and then them telling me that they hooked me up with an Agent -Andrea Kauffman. Andrea calls me up and says “apparently I’m your agent”She took me everywhere, and then asked me where I wanted to play?I wanted to play Trump PlazaShe then tells me that I have a six week engagement, six nights a week, four shows every night Trump Plaza, in A.C . These gigs went on and off for ten years, I would come down, and they put me up, I played every casino with Andrea as my agent. The only caveat was that whenever Sinatra was in town I was required to be part of his entourage….had to be one of the “boys”, and I got to sit and watch him show after show,my education, masters program - watching Sinatra. After all those years of experience because of Atlantic City, Mohegan Sun calls me to be the first band to play on opening nite,twenty years ago. Now, I'm in the middle of Mohegan Sun….the first year I played 26 weeks, four or five shows a night....(Six nights a week)half a year..... At this point, I am making money, not a star,- but making a good living.Today Show and Tin Pan AlleyAnd then my life pivots again:This time with a phone call from my piano player,My phone rings. It's my piano player -who I met in Atlantic City. He says a film director, friend is in need of better music, come up with music for the Today Show, can you write new music for the today show, by nine o’clock tomorrow, and on the way to New YorkI sang it…wrote it on the phone..... as I was heading to the studio to record itspent the whole night, and I delivered the song to NBC. The song became the closing theme to the Today Show for 8 years . We got royalties, musicians union payed me for sessions,and vocalist union, sang lead and background vocals,Paid for my kids’ colleges, wedding, bar mitzvahs,and a pension-all thanks to the Today Show. .,

I formed a company to write music Kingsize Music, in New York (eventually bought by Warner Chappell Music Group)Music for Sex in the City, Food Network shows,my music has been on hundreds and hundreds of TV shows,Real Housewives, to SNL, to American Pickers, to RuPaul, to The VoiceI am currently managing Artists, I am working to make sure they are diversified, i.e music licensing, and other things relating to media to broaden and diversify their careers. It isn't just about getting gigs anymore.In 2006 I was hired at SONY - they hired me to be the Managing Director of a division of SONY Music Publishing for creating music for TV and film. Unfortunately, SONY sold my division, though they did pay me the balance of my contract, and I did the one thing with the money that always eluded me….. I went to college got a degree in theater and, graduated summa cum laude from Westconn. ... Then I signed with an Agent as a working actor, and now I am the voice of Grey Goose Vodka,

The Johnny Winter Heir apparenta couple years, johnny winter manager calls, and says we want you to be under johnny’s umbrella.You could be the heir apparent, I record my album, and a week before he was scheduled to perform tracks on my recordings he passed away in Switzerland, I went and self released the record,I was asked to be part of the Johnny Winter Remembrance Band….Johnny had an album and was Grammy nominated, and they wanted to promote the record, and I sang…..the album won the 2015 Grammy for Best Blues Album-It was an honor to be a part but I went ahead with pursuing my own album, and it's globally getting a lot of play, and a new album is on the way.Piedmont Talent Agencyhttp://www.piedmonttalent.com/I started working with Piedmont Talent, an agency from Charlotte N.C. When they planned to move to West Palm Beach in Florida, I decided to buy the company!I bought the talent agency. I now manage artists,Matt Schofield.. we became friends, and went on tour, and changing management, and now I manage him. I also started a record company Number 7 Records.Lessons Learned and Shared-surviving the music business I am taking all this experience, and I have so much depth of experience and when I work with younger artists, I can teach them to diversifyThere is a lot of ways to turn music into money, and I am going to help them This is the worst business, it eats it's young and if you are going to do it, you have to be smart, and you have to find ways to diversify.

Words of Wisdom from Papa J.Keep up, reinvent yourself- keeping up with the youngin'sI've learned to navigate this business, and had so much opportunity -Everything I have is from my commitment to the music business, and my hard work and wonderful family, and great attitude,The music business is hard, but it’s do-able.. you gotta work, get up every day, and tackle it. I don’t have much formal training, I have taken a little bit of talent, with a lot of chutzpah and a great attitude.And I am very grateful.