Kenny Vance

Kenny Vance (born Kenneth Rosenberg, December 9, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer who was a founding member of Jay and the Americans. His career spans from the 1950s to today, with projects ranging from starting doo-wop groups to music supervising to creating solo albums. Early career Born in Brooklyn, Vance grew up hanging around the famous Brill Building, the Tin Pan Alley song machine, and started his first vocal group, the Harbor Lites, at 15. The group recorded two singles for Ivy Records in 1959. An early single, "Is That Too Much To Ask", experienced local popularity due to radio promotion by disc jockey Cousin Brucie. He then formed another group and auditioned for Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who signed them to United Artists Records, and named the group Jay and the Americans. Jay and the Americans Jay and the Americans released fifteen albums, and their first hit was "She Cried", which was released in 1962. The group's musical style evoked nostalgia for 1950s rock and roll and doo wop. The group was the opening act for not only The Beatles' first US performance, in Washington, D.C., but also for the Rolling Stones at Carnegie Hall, the final stop on the Rolling Stones' tour. They also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. They had many other hit singles and an album, Capture the Moment, in the 1960s, blending doo wop harmonies with contemporary sounds. In 1969, they self-produced the album Sands of Time, featuring songs originated by the Drifters ("This Magic Moment") and the Ronettes ("Walkin' in the Rain"). Both songs hit the Top 40 singles chart. They also started their own publishing and production company, JATA Enterprises. Their last release was in 1971, and the group broke up in 1974.