Jerry Jaye (born October 19, 1937 in Manila, Arkansas) is an American country/ rockabilly singer. Jaye grew up on a

sharecropper Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

's farm and did a stint in the Navy from 1954 to 1958. After his return he started a band with bassist Tommy Baker and drummer Carl Frye, who began playing the local Arkansas circuits. In 1966, the group traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, and recorded a single, " My Girl Josephine" (a hit for Fats Domino the previous decade). The single was initially released in a press run of 500; Jaye shopped the disc to local radio stations, and as the tune began getting airplay, Jaye signed a contract with Hi Records for national distribution.Jerry Jaye
at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Accessed October 16, 2007 Re-released in 1967, "My Girl Josephine" became a

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

in the US, peaking at No. 29 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Pop Singles chart. Billboard Singles Allmusic.com A full-length LP, ''My Girl Josephine'', followed, which hit No. 195 in the US,

Allmusic.com but four further singles from the album failed to make an impact on the charts. During this time Jaye toured with

Booker T and the MGs Booker T. & the M.G.'s were an American instrumental R&B/funk band that was influential in shaping the sound of Southern soul and Memphis soul. The original members of the group were Booker T. Jones (organ, piano), Steve Cropper (guitar), Lew ...

and

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

among others. Jaye left Hi Records in 1970 and began recording new material for

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

's Mega/Raintree. Seven singles were released, some of which found regional success. Between 1974 and 1975 he sang lead with the Bill Black Combo after its founder's death. In 1975, Jaye signed with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, first releasing a cover of Tommy Edwards's "It's All in the Game". This was followed by two further US Country hits (again with Hi Records) in 1976, "Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men" (US Country No. 32) and "Hot and Still Heatin' (US Country No. 78). In 1979 he left Hi again, and began touring the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

with his wife Darlene Battles. Together they released an album on Bejay Records

in 1984. Jaye toured

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and England in the 1990s, and released another album, ''One More Time'', in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaye, Jerry Singers from Arkansas American rockabilly musicians American country singers Living people 1937 births Columbia Records artists People from Manila, Arkansas Military personnel from Arkansas Songwriters from Arkansas 20th-century American singers Country musicians from Arkansas