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Jay Walter Bennett (November 15, 1963 – May 24, 2009) was an American multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the band
Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
from 1994 to 2001.


Biography


Early life and work with Wilco

Jay Bennett was born November 15, 1963, in
Rolling Meadows, Illinois Rolling Meadows is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,200. History In 1836, Orrin Ford became the first landowner in the area that is now Rolling Meadows, staking his claim of in an area ...
, a suburb northwest of Chicago. Bennett was a founding member of Titanic Love Affair. The band recorded three albums in the 1990s: ''Titanic Love Affair'' (1991), ''No Charisma'' (EP, 1992), and ''Their Titanic Majesty's Request'' (1996). He also played guitar with Steve Pride and His Blood Kin and Gator Alley. Nearing a master's degree in education at the University of Illinois, Bennett became a classroom teacher at Urbana Junior High, first as a substitute in 1985. Bennett was a full-time middle-school math teacher in 1986 at the then redesignated Urbana Middle School. He also worked for several years as an electronics technician for a local audio-video repair store. From 1994 through 2001 Bennett was a member of
Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
. Conflicts between front man
Jeff Tweedy Jeffrey Scot Tweedy (born August 25, 1967) is an American musician, songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the singer and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, started his music career in high s ...
and Bennett that would contribute to Bennett's split with Wilco are visible in the Sam Jones film '' I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco.'' Although Bennett sought to act as both mixer and engineer for ''
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Wilco, first released on September 18, 2001. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film ''I Am Trying to Break ...
'', Tweedy was unsure of Bennett's abilities against those of producer Jim O'Rourke. Bennett claimed he "tried to stay away from the mixing, having been reminded that Jim didn't like a lot of folks around when he was mixing." Tweedy and Bennett frequently argued over whether the album should be accessible to a general listener, or attempt to cover new musical ground. Unbeknownst to Bennett, Tweedy invited O'Rourke to remix "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart", and the results impressed the other band members – even Bennett. Tensions grew between Bennett and O'Rourke because Bennett wanted to play a more integral role regarding the mixing of the album. O'Rourke cut the contributions of other members on several of the songs; some songs, such as "Poor Places", only featured the
Loose Fur Loose Fur was an American rock supergroup comprising Wilco members Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche, along with Wilco collaborator and Sonic Youth's multi-instrumentalist Jim O'Rourke. The trio first convened in May 2000 in preparation for a Tweedy ...
trio of Tweedy, O'Rourke and Wilco drummer
Glenn Kotche Glenn Kotche (born December 31, 1970 in Roselle, Illinois, United States) is an American drummer and composer, best known for his involvement in the band Wilco. He was named the 40th greatest drummer of all time by Gigwise in 2008. Prior to w ...
. (Bennett claimed he contributed organ, guitars, and the "Noiz section" to "Poor Places.") The album was completed in 2001, and Bennett was dismissed from the band immediately afterwards.


Solo career

After leaving Wilco, Bennett released five solo albums. The first, entitled ''The Palace at 4 am'', was a collaboration with
Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
musician Edward Burch. 2004's ''Bigger Than Blue'' was a more stripped-down set of personal songs. In the same year he released ''The Beloved Enemy'', which saw Bennett exploring his personal turmoil in even more intimate detail. ''The Magnificent Defeat'' was released by
Ryko Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record la ...
Records in September 2006. He released ''Whatever Happened I Apologize'' in November 2008 on rockproper.com. Bennett had been working on a sixth record, titled ''Kicking at the Perfumed Air''. It was released posthumously for free on May 24, 2010, on the Jay Bennett Foundation's website. In addition to his popularity in Wilco and as a solo performer, Bennett also played on albums by
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
,
Allison Moorer Allison Moorer (born June 21, 1972) is an American singer/songwriter. She signed with MCA Nashville in 1997 and made her debut on the U.S. Billboard Country Chart with the release of her debut single, “A Soft Place To Fall,” which she co-wr ...
,
Sherry Rich Sherry Rich or Sherry Rich-Plant (born Lismore) is an Australian alternative country singer-songwriter, guitarist and music teacher. As Sherry Valier, she formed an all-girl garage rock band, Girl Monstar (1988–93), on lead vocals, harmonica ...
and
Billy Joe Shaver Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American outlaw country singer and songwriter, as well as an actor. Biography Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas, and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver. Until he was 12 ...
, produced
Michelle Anthony Michelle Anthony is an American singer-songwriter. Biography Michelle Anthony was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Overland Park, Kansas (a suburb of Kansas City). She began playing piano by ear at age three, taught by her mother, ...
's 2004 release, "Stand Fall Repeat," West of Rome's 2005 release, "Drunk Tank Decoy," and Blues Traveler's 2005 release, ''
¡Bastardos! ''¡Bastardos!'' is an American jam band Blues Traveler, Blues Traveler's eighth studio album, released on September 13, 2005, and produced by Jay Bennett (formerly of Wilco). The band stated in an interview years ago that they wanted to name an ...
'' and mixed the album ''Double Barrel'' by Chicago country-rock band Old No. 8.


Later life and death

In May 2009, Bennett sued Wilco frontman
Jeff Tweedy Jeffrey Scot Tweedy (born August 25, 1967) is an American musician, songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the singer and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, started his music career in high s ...
for breach of contract stemming from his work for Wilco. The suit came less than two weeks after Bennett publicly revealed that he needed
hip replacement surgery Hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant, that is, a hip prosthesis. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi (half) replacement. Such joint replacement o ...
which he could not afford due to his
health insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...
considering the situation a "pre-existing condition." On May 24, 2009, Bennett died unexpectedly in his sleep. On the weekend of his death, members of Titanic Love Affair and fellow bands and friends from its heyday had descended on Champaign-Urbana for a "Play or Pose Reunion" at which Bennett was expected to perform. When Bennett failed to show up for festivities, they posted a picture on the "Play or Pose" website, brandishing a placard reading "Jay Bennett, we're here, where are you? We love you." The Champaign County coroner reported about one month later that Bennett's death was accidental, and was the result of an
overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.
of the prescription
painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It i ...
Fentanyl Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocaine ...
. He was wearing a Duragesic patch on his back when his body was found, said Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup. At the time of his death, Bennett lived in
Urbana __NOTOC__ Urbana can refer to: Places Italy *Urbana, Italy United States *Urbana, Illinois **Urbana (conference), a Christian conference formerly held in Urbana, Illinois *Urbana, Indiana * Urbana, Iowa *Urbana, Kansas * Urbana, Maryland *Urbana, ...
, Illinois, where he spent most of his time writing songs and recording in his private studio, Pieholden Studios, which was named after "Pieholden Suite" on Wilco's ''
Summerteeth ''Summerteeth'' (stylized as summerteeth) is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Wilco (stylized as ''wilco''), released on March 9, 1999, by Reprise Records. The album was heavily influenced lyrically by 20th century li ...
''. Immediately after his death, a friend of Bennett's posted a blog through the musician's MySpace account, saying that Bennett had "been in a really good place these last few years." The post also revealed that he had been looking forward to engineering an unreleased Titanic Love Affair album, another album with Edward Burch titled ''The Palace at 4 am Part II'', and that he had recently enrolled in graduate school classes at the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
.MySpace blog entry o
Jay Bennett
's page.
The post ended by encouraging fans to engage in some of Bennett's favorite activities: "listen to a
Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television program, developed by Peter Rees and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast internatio ...
'' on
Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...
, play
Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...
’s " Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," rent ''
Pay It Forward Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying the kindness to others instead of to the original benefactor. The concept is old, but the particular phrase may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1 ...
'' (one of his favorite movies), write a song with the TV on and the sound off," and focus on Bennett's loving spirit. Former bandmate Jeff Tweedy also made a brief statement on Wilco's official website: "We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will miss Jay as we remember him – as a truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welcome and significant contributions to the band's songs and evolution. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this very difficult time." Bennett's final album, ''Kicking at the Perfumed Air'', was released on July 10, 2010, through The Jay Bennett Foundation. It was made available free of charge, with a suggested donation.


''Where Are You, Jay Bennett?'' documentary

Co-Directed by
Gorman Bechard Gorman Bechard (born March 15, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and novelist best known for his independent feature films ''Psychos in Love,'' ''Friends (With Benefits), Friends (with benefits),'' and ''You Are Alone''; his four r ...
and Fred Uhter, this music documentary "delves into the life and career of Jay Bennett. The extremely talented musician was a crucial member of
Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...
during the band’s formative years. Unceremoniously dumped from Wilco by Jeff Tweedy, the studio wizard and guitarist would go on to a solo career before succumbing to an accidental Fentanyl overdose at the age of 45." Released on Blu Ray and pay-per-view on April 19, 2022, and as part of a
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
release with vinyl editions of Bennett's last two albums, ''Whatever Happened I Apologize'' and ''Kicking at the Perfumed Air'' on April 23, 2022, "the new film does a wonderful job of capturing the quirkiness, inventiveness and brilliance of someone who never met an instrument he couldn't play. Bennett once described hearing the open spaces of the songs and holes that became his sonic landscape. They were at the core of the remarkable string of Wilco’s albums ''
Being There ''Being There'' is a 1979 American satire film directed by Hal Ashby. Based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński, it was adapted for the screen by Kosiński and the uncredited Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers a ...
'', ''
Summerteeth ''Summerteeth'' (stylized as summerteeth) is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Wilco (stylized as ''wilco''), released on March 9, 1999, by Reprise Records. The album was heavily influenced lyrically by 20th century li ...
'' and ''
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Wilco, first released on September 18, 2001. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film ''I Am Trying to Break ...
''." The film was originally started by Uhter, who asked Bechard to take over the project when it stalled. It takes a hard look at Bennett's years in Wilco, and his treatment in the film '' I Am Trying To Break Your Heart'', which many consider to be unfair. "Jay Bennett's reputation never quite recovered from the battering it took in Sam Jones' documentary ''I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco'', about the complex, lengthy gestation of 2002's ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' in often painful detail, portrayed a band slowly pulling itself apart, with chief songwriters Bennett and Jeff Tweedy its twin opposing forces. The implication being that Bennett was a headstrong, intractable figure responsible for most of the discord. He was sacked as soon as the album was done. Filmmakers Gorman Bechard and Fred Uhter seek to redress the balance on ''Where Are You, Jay Bennett?"''. The film painted a balanced picture of the relationship between Bennett and Tweedy. "They just happened to be two egos at that point, fueled by a lot of demons. And it just wasn't working anymore," Bechard explained. "They're both incredibly talented. They both had egos. They both, I think, saw maybe different paths for the band. And ultimately it was Jeff's band, so he's going to win that, and rightfully so. There were other issues, whether it be alcohol or drugs. You know, it was a little bit of everything. Personally, I wish they had stayed together because I think they could have literally become the next Lennon and McCartney or the next Jagger/Richards."


Discography


Albums

* ''The Palace at 4 a.m. (Part I)'' (with Edward Burch) (2002) * ''Bigger than Blue'' (2004) * ''The Beloved Enemy'' (2004) * ''The Magnificent Defeat'' (2006) * ''Whatever Happened I Apologize'' (2008) * ''Kicking at the Perfumed Air'' (2010) * ''Where Are You Jay Bennett?'' OST (2022)


References


External links

* Official Spotify Artist Pag

*
R.I.P. Jay Bennett
" a remembrance by
Bob Boilen Bob B Boilen (b. April 10, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York City) is an American musician and media personality. He is the host and creator of NPR's online music show ''All Songs Considered'' and NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts series. In 1979 Bob Boilen pl ...
at
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's
All Songs Considered ''All Songs Considered'' is a weekly online multimedia program started in January 2000 by NPR's ''All Things Considered'' director Bob Boilen. At first, the show featured information and streaming audio about the songs used as bumper music on '' ...
blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Jay 1963 births 2009 deaths Record producers from Illinois American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock songwriters American male songwriters American rock singers American multi-instrumentalists Wilco members Singer-songwriters from Illinois Writers from Urbana, Illinois Drug-related deaths in Illinois The Minus 5 members 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists People from Rolling Meadows, Illinois Guitarists from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians