Jay Graydon

Jay Graydon
Graydon in 2019.
Background information
Birth name	Jay Joseph Graydon
Born	(1949-10-08) October 8, 1949 (age 75) Burbank, California
Occupation(s)	Guitarist, songwriter, producer

Jay Joseph Graydon ^[1] (born October 8, 1949, Burbank, California) is an American songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, keyboardist, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards (in the R&B category) with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". He has mastered many different music styles and genres, and his recordings have been featured on record, film, television and the stage.

History

Graydon made his singing debut on his second birthday on the "Joe Graydon Show," the first music/talk television show in Los Angeles, hosted by his father, Joe Graydon.

During and for a brief time after his college days, Graydon played in the Don Ellis Band, whose style can be described as experimental post-bop jazz. He can be heard on the live double album Don Ellis at Fillmore and the studio albums The New Don Ellis Band Goes Underground , Connection and Soaring .

L. A. session musician

From the late 1960s to late 1970s Graydon was a session musician in Los Angeles, working with such artists as Gino Vannelli, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, The Jackson Five, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Al Jarreau, Christopher Cross, Ray Charles, Cher, Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, Hall & Oates, Wayne Shorter, Olivia Newton-John, Albert King and Steely Dan. One of Graydon's most notable session performances is his guitar solo on Steely Dan's 1977 hit single "Peg".

In 1977 he appeared as a character in a number of Doonesbury strips as Jay "Wah-Wah" Graydon. ^[2] Graydon played on the Jimmy Thudpucker album "Greatest Hits" along with Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn. He was the subject of the track "Fretman Sam" and played its guitar solo. He also programmed the synthesizers for the album.

Producer

Jay Graydon's production credits include work with Airplay, Air Supply, George Benson, Al Jarreau, DeBarge, El DeBarge, Sheena Easton, Art Garfunkel, The Manhattan Transfer, Johnny Mathis, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, Dionne Warwick, Alan Sorrenti and the album They Don't Make Them Like They Used To by Kenny Rogers.

He started his own record label, Sonic Thrust Records, in 2001 to give himself creative and artistic freedom in his songwriting and producing profession. The label features straight-ahead jazz, adult contemporary pop, AAA, AOR, classic R&B, smooth jazz, and genuine retro surf from the 1960s.

As a musician and recording engineer, he has often been a consultant and beta tester for new musical equipment and recording gear.

Songwriter

Graydon has written over 200 songs. His catalog includes the Grammy winners "Turn Your Love Around" (co-written with Steve Lukather and Bill Champlin) as performed by George Benson and "After the Love Has Gone" (co-written with David Foster and Bill Champlin) as performed by Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as "Who's Holding Donna Now" (DeBarge), "Friends in Love" (Dionne Warwick and Johnny Mathis), many songs written with and for Al Jarreau (including "Mornin'", "Breakin' Away", "High Crime", "After All", and "Roof Garden"), and several hits with Manhattan Transfer including "Twilight Zone", "On The Boulevard", "Smile Again" and "Spies in the Night". Many of his songs were co-written with David Foster.

Writer and educator

Graydon has written numerous articles in music magazines, and has conducted seminars at Musician's Institute in Hollywood with guitarist Tommy Tedesco for more than 15 years. He has been working on a series of books on recording techniques with Craig Anderton, a widely published and bestselling authority on recording technology. The books will discuss the subtleties of recording various instruments, as well as mixing.

Film scores

Graydon has participated as a musician and/or songwriter in over 50 film scores including The French Connection , Grease , Ghostbusters , St. Elmo's Fire , The Secret of My Success , Navy Seals , Lady Sings the Blues , The Greatest , Ghost Dad, Mahogany, and Thank God It's Friday.

Television

Graydon has played on or written songs for The Andy Williams Show , The Jackson 5 Show , The Alan Thicke Show , The David Steinberg Show , The Ed Sullivan Show , The Tonight Show , The Merv Griffin Show , The Soupy Sales Show , The Smothers Brothers Show , The Midnight Special , The First Rock and Roll Awards Show , Miami Vice , and Starsky and Hutch .

With Richard Page, he also wrote the second theme song for Gimme a Break! , which was used from its third through sixth seasons.

Key collaborations

Al Jarreau

Perhaps Graydon's most noted collaboration has been with Al Jarreau. Graydon was Jarreau's main songwriter/producer in the early 1980s. Graydon produced Jarreau's albums This Time , Breakin' Away , Jarreau and High Crime, among others. Graydon also played guitar and synthesizer on these albums, as well as serving as songwriter, arranger and engineer.

David Foster

Foster and Graydon have worked together on several album projects, including the band Airplay, a pop-rock group they formed in the late 1970s, and the JT Super Producer concert in Japan in 1994 with René Angélil and Céline Dion. ^[3]

Randy Goodrum

Graydon and Randy Goodrum formed a group named JaR. In 2008, they released an album titled Scene 29, described as "Steely Dan meets Airplay and Pages". ^[4]

Steely Dan

Graydon played the guitar solo on the song "Peg" on Steely Dan's 1977 album Aja . Graydon has said that he was unaware of whether or not Becker and Fagen would keep the solo until he heard the finished song on the radio. ^{[5] [6]}

David "Fathead" Newman

• He played on Concrete Jungle .

Discography

Solo albums

Year	Album Title	Notes
1993	Airplay for the Planet
2001	Bebop
2006	Past to Present - The 70s
2008	Airplay for the Planet - Live in Japan

Collaborations

Year	Artist	Album Title	Role(s)
1974	Boz Scaggs	Slow Dancer	Guitars
	Joe Cocker	I Can Stand a Little Rain
1975	Gino Vannelli	Storm at Sunup
	Aretha Franklin	You
	Barbra Streisand	Lazy Afternoon
	2nd Chapter of Acts	In the Volume of the Book
1976	Albert King	Albert
	Candi Staton	Young Hearts Run Free
	Paul Anka	The Painter
	Jennifer Warnes	Jennifer Warnes
	Marvin Gaye	I Want You
	Donovan	Slow Down World	Synthesizer, programming
	Cher	I'd Rather Believe in You	Guitar, mandolin
	Stephen Bishop	Careless	Electric guitar, acoustic guitar
	Gino Vannelli	The Gist of the Gemini	Electric guitar
1977	Olivia Newton-John	Making a Good Thing Better	Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar
	Dolly Parton	Here You Come Again	Pedal steel guitar
	Boz Scaggs	Down Two Then Left	Guitar, guitar solo
	Steely Dan	Aja	Guitar solo on "Peg"
	Rhythm Heritage	Last Night on Earth	Lead guitar
	Marlena Shaw	Sweet Beginnings	Guitar
	Paul Anka	The Music Man
	Jackie DeShannon	You're the Only Dancer
	Leo Sayer	Thunder in My Heart
	Dionne Warwick	Love at First Sight
	Shaun Cassidy	Born Late
	Dalbello	Lisa Dal Bello
	Syreeta Wright	Rich Love, Poor Love
1978	Various Artists	Grease Soundtrack
	Carole Bayer Sager	...Too
	Leo Sayer	Leo Sayer
	Melissa Manchester	Don't Cry Out Loud
	Barbra Streisand	Songbird
	Dane Donohue	Dane Donohue
	Paul Anka	Listen to Your Heart
	Helen Reddy	We'll Sing in the Sunshine
	Juice Newton	Well Kept Secret
	Shaun Cassidy	Under Wraps
	Candi Staton	House of Love
	Valerie Carter	Wild Child
	2nd Chapter of Acts	Mansion Builder
	Ben E. King	Let Me Live in Your Life
	Rhythm Heritage	Sky's the Limit	Guitar, arranger, writer
	Alice Cooper	From The Inside	Guitar, synthesizer programming
	Brian Cadd	Yesterdaydreams	Synthesiser
	Rita Coolidge	Love Me Again	Guitar, acoustic guitar
	Nigel Olsson	Nigel Olsson	Guitar, electric guitar
	Pages	Pages	Engineer, guitar, horns, keyboard programming, producer, songwriter
1979	Barbra Streisand	Wet	Electric guitar
	Christopher Cross	Christopher Cross	Guitar solo
	Cher	Take Me Home	Guitar
	Paul Anka	Headlines
	Peter Allen	I Could Have Been a Sailor
	Yvonne Elliman	Yvonne
	Donna Summer	Bad Girls
	Rhythm Heritage	Disco Derby
	Nigel Olsson	Nigel	Electric guitar, acoustic guitar
	The Manhattan Transfer	Extensions	Producer, arrangement, guitars, synthesizers, guitar solo, additional vocals, synthesizer programming, Mixing and Overdub Tracking
	Marc Jordan	Blue Desert	Lead guitar, synthesizer, arranger, conductor, producer, engineer
	Earth, Wind & Fire	I Am	Songwriter
1980	Peter Allen	Bi-Coastal	Guitar
	2nd Chapter of Acts	The Roar of Love
	Syreeta Wright	Syreeta	Musician
	Bernie Taupin	He Who Rides the Tiger	Electric Guitar
	Mariya Takeuchi	Miss M	Acoustic and electric guitars, rhythm arrangement, backing vocals, songwriter
	Airplay	Airplay	Producer, guitar, lead and backing vocals, overdubbing, mixing, songwriter
	Al Jarreau	This Time	Synthesizer programming, electric guitar, rhythm arrangements, producer, engineer
1981		Breakin' Away	Producer, mixing, songwriter, electric guitar, synthesizer programming, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements
	Dolly Parton	Dolly, Dolly, Dolly	Guitar
	Carole Bayer Sager	Sometimes Late at Night
	The Manhattan Transfer	Mecca for Moderns	Producer, songwriter, guitar, synthesizer, arrangements
	Pages	Pages	Composer, engineer, guitar, mixing, producer, programming
1982	Herbie Hancock	Lite Me Up	Composer, engineer, guitar, producer, songwriter
	Dionne Warwick	Friends in Love	Producer, rhythm arrangements, synthesizers, guitar, percussion, recording, mixing
1983	Donna Summer	She Works Hard for the Money	Songwriter, guitar
	The Tubes	Outside Inside	Special Musical Contributor
	Paul Anka	Walk a Fine Line	Composer
	Sheena Easton	Best Kept Secret	Guitar, producer, engineer
	Christopher Cross	Another Page	Guitar solo
	David Foster	The Best Of Me	Composer, engineer, guitar, songwriter
	Al Jarreau	Jarreau	Producer, songwriter, rhythm arrangements, guitar, synthesizers, guitar solo, engineering
1984		High Crime	Producer, songwriter, guitar, arrangements, synthesizers, computer concept
1985	DeBarge	Rhythm of the Night	Producer, songwriter, guitars, synthesizers
1986	El DeBarge	El DeBarge	Synthesizer, guitar, songwriter, arranger, producer, engineer
	Kenny Rogers	They Don't Make Them Like They Used To	Producer, engineer, songwriter, synthesizers, lead guitar, electronic drums, arrangements, guitar solo, drums, guitar lines
	Al Jarreau	L Is for Lover	Songwriter
1988		Heart's Horizon	Producer, songwriter, synthesizers
	Art Garfunkel	Lefty	Producer, engineer
	George Benson	Twice the Love	Producer, synthesizers, drums, arrangements, engineer, mixing
1989	El DeBarge	Gemini	Producer, songwriter
1993	Planet 3	Music From The Planet	Guitars, keyboards, programming, mixing, recording
2004		Gems Unearthed	Lead guitar, keyboards, programming, liner notes, mastering
2008	JaR	Scene 29	Lead and backing vocals, guitar, drums, synthesizer, composer, arranger, producer, engineer, mixing and mastering

Grammy Awards

Year Awarded	Nominee/work	Category	Result	Ref.
1980	"After the Love Has Gone" (Earth, Wind & Fire)	Song of the Year (shared with Bill Champlin & David Foster)	Nominated	[7] [8] [9]
		Best Rhythm & Blues Song (shared with Bill Champlin & David Foster)	Won
1981	"Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" (The Manhattan Transfer)	Best Arrangement for Voices (shared with Alan Paul)	Nominated	[10] [11]
1982	Breakin' Away (Al Jarreau)	Album of the Year (shared with Al Jarreau)	Nominated	[12]
	"Kafka" (The Manhattan Transfer)	Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices (shared with Bernard Kafka)	Nominated
1983	"Turn Your Love Around" (George Benson)	Best Rhythm & Blues Song (shared with Bill Champlin & Steve Lukather)	Won	[13] [14]
1984	Jarreau (Al Jarreau)	Producer of the Year (Non-Classical)	Nominated	[15] [16]
		Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical (shared with Ian Eales & Eric Prestis)	Nominated
	"Mornin'" (Al Jarreau)	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (shared with David Foster & Jeremy Lubbock)	Nominated
	"Step by Step" (Al Jarreau)	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (shared with Tom Canning, Jerry Hey & Al Jarreau)	Nominated
1985	Ghostbusters Soundtrack (various artists)	Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special (shared with various artists & producers)	Nominated	[17] [18] [19]
1986	St. Elmo's Fire Soundtrack (various artists)		Nominated	[20] [21]

References

1. "Jay Graydon". SecondHandSongs.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
2. Graydon, Jay (February 29, 2000). "MusicPlayer Forums: Jay Graydon here". musicplayer.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
3. "Jay Graydon at jaygraydon.net. Performances". Jaygraydon.net. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
4. JaR. CDBaby. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
5. "Steely Dan - Peg | Jay Graydon Shows Us The Solo | Tim Pierce | Learn To Play | Guitar Lesson". September 15, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2023– via YouTube.
6. "How Steely Dan Went Through Seven Guitarists and Dozens of Hours of Tape to Get the Perfect Guitar Solo on "Peg"". Openculture.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
7. "Jay Graydon - Artist". Grammy Award . Retrieved March 18, 2018.
8. "Grammy Awards & Nominations". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
9. "Grammy Awards 1980". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
10. "Here's complete list of the Grammy nominees". Eugene Register-Guard . No. 121. Eugene, Oregon: Guard Publishing. February 21, 1981. p. 36.
11. "Grammy Awards 1981". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
12. "Grammy Awards 1982". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
13. "Toto strikes it big as soft-rock musicians win 7 Grammys". The Milwaukee Journal. February 24, 1983. Retrieved May 1, 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
14. "Grammy Awards 1983". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
15. "Complete List of the Nominees for 26th Annual Grammy Music Awards". Schenectady Gazette . The Daily Gazette Company. January 9, 1984.
16. "Grammy Awards 1984". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
17. Graff, Gary (January 11, 1985). "The Grammy Awards: Prince, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper take five nominations each". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 5C. Retrieved July 26, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
18. "27th Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. January 16, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
19. "Grammy Awards 1985". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
20. Hunt, Dennis (January 10, 1986). "'We Are The World' Scores In Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. p. 3. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
21. "Grammy Awards 1986". Awards & shows. Retrieved March 18, 2018.

External links

• Artist's website
• Artist's 2nd website
• Artist's YouTube channel
• Artist's Myspace website
• Graydon, Jay writing credits
• Jay Graydon's Collaboration with Randy Goodrum as the group JaR
• Jay Graydon – Artist – grammy.com
• Jay Graydon's awards and nominations