Jay Jay French

Last updated
Jay Jay French
Twisted Sister - Wacken Open Air 2016 09.jpg
Jay Jay French performing in 2016 with his Ruokangas guitar
Background information
Birth nameJohn French Segall
Born (1952-07-20) July 20, 1952 (age 71)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres Heavy metal, glam metal, hard rock
Occupation(s)Guitarist
Years active1973–present
Labels
Website twistedsister.com

Jay Jay French (born John French Segall, July 20, 1952) is an American guitarist, manager, record producer and founding member of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. [1] He is a columnist, author and motivational speaker who oversees licensing and intellectual property rights for the Twisted Sister brand. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

French was born in New York City as the younger of two sons to father Lou Segall, a jewelry salesman, and mother Evaline French Segall, a political consultant for the Democratic Party in New York who worked for the John F. Kennedy presidential campaign. His mother also ran the successful election campaign of Constance Baker Motley, the first African American woman elected to the New York State Senate. [3] He and his brother Jeff Segall grew up in Manhattan.

The seeds for French's musical life were planted in 1963 when he attended his first concert, the folk group The Weavers at Carnegie Hall. [4]

He was an anti-Vietnam war and civil rights activist. In the summer of 1967, he attended the Shaker Village summer program, and was a bunkmate of Ben Chaney, brother of James Chaney, one of the three murdered civil rights workers who died on a voting registration drive in Mississippi in 1964. The events were portrayed in Alan Parker's 1988 film Mississippi Burning .

Two months before graduation, French dropped out of George Washington High School, as a protest to the student murders at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. [5]

Career

1970s

French auditioned in 1972 for an early version of Wicked Lester, [6] featuring Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

In December of that year, he joined the New Jersey-based glitter band Silverstar, which changed its name in 1973 to Twisted Sister. [7] The band also included Michael Valentine (vocals), Billy Diamond (guitar), Kenneth Harrison Neill (bass) and Mell Star (drums). [8]

In 1975, French hired Rick Prince on vocals and Keith Angel on guitars. Soon after, French took over the vocals. [9]

In late 1975, Eddie Ojeda replaced Keith Angel on guitars, and Daniel Dee Snider joined the band in February 1976, [10] to relieve French from his vocalist duties. Other significant member changes in the history of Twisted Sister include the addition of Tony Petri (drums, April 1976), Mark Mendoza (bass, December 1978), Richie Teeter (drums, December 1980), Joey Brighton (drums, April 1981), Anthony AJ Pero (drums, April 1982) and Joey “Seven” Franco (drums, 1987).

Early editions of Twisted Sister performed six nights a week, with five 40-minute sets each night, including costume changes. Gradually, the band's glam image and music changed into a heavier direction, with influences by artists such as Led Zeppelin, Slade and Alice Cooper. [11]

French, in addition to being one of the band's guitar players, took over as manager from 1975 to 1979, and from 1988 to today. [12]

1980s

Twisted Sister's first album release was the EP Ruff Cutts in 1982 by Secret Records. [13]

Twisted Sister released five studio albums between 1982 and 1987, including Under The Blade (1982), You Can't Stop Rock’n’Roll (1983), Stay Hungry (1984), Come Out And Play (1985) and Love Is For Suckers (1987).

Fashion critic Richard Blackwell named Twisted Sister to Mr. Blackwell's Worst-dressed List of 1984, ranking them No. 11 [14] and calling them "a car crash in a whorehouse." [15]

Following the departure of singer Dee Snider and guitarist Eddie Ojeda, French along with bass player Mark Mendoza made a move in 1987 to cease performing live.

French French Management Enterprises and the production company Rebellion Music Inc. From 1988, he took over the management of Twisted Sister again, dealing with the music catalog. He also signed R&B singer George Taylor, blues legend Johnny Gale, [16] David Forman, Thom Jack, Ean Evans' Cupid's Arrow and Tina Sugandh for her debut record. [17]

In 1988, French became a Grammy voting member.

1990s

As owner of the Twisted Sister trademark and manager of its affairs, French began producing new Twisted Sister album releases, including the compilation album Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister. [18]

In partnership with Dennis Berardi, president of Kramer Guitars, French signed the Atlanta-based hard rock band Redd Threat. Over the next seven years, Redd Threat changed its name and personnel multiple times, and by 1995, the band was called Snake Nation. French later renamed the band Crawlspace. [19]

French signed the band to Rebellion Music, and within a year, French signed a production deal with TVT Records. Due to trademark issues, Crawlspace changed its name to Sevendust. [20] French and Mark Mendoza produced the self-titled debut album, and executive produced the following three Sevendust-albums. Sevendust became one of the biggest new breed of metal bands, called nu metal, and sold over 1 million albums.

2000s

Sevendust and French parted ways in 2000. [19] French then partnered with friend and former Sony Records executive Sean Sullivan, and founded a new management company called Rebellion Entertainment. The company signed artists representing a variety of musical styles, including New Jersey alternative metal band The Step Kings, south Asian pop artist Tina Sugandh, singer-songwriter Julian Velard, the Grammy-nominated Latin percussion group The Groove Collective and the alternative band and RCA recording artists The Sound of Urchin. [21]

On June 10, French received the New Hampshire Excellence in Education award for "Efforts to Curb Substance abuse Among Young People".

In November 2001, Twisted Sister reunited following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center for a November 2001 fundraiser, organized by Eddie Trunk, to benefit the Widows and Orphans Fund for the New York City police and fire departments. [22]

The performance led to the band has performing for audiences worldwide, including United Kingdom, North America, European countries and South America. The band has also performed in South Korea at US army bases, through a USO-sponsored tour. [23]

The band's activities included the creation and production of six new DVDs, two new albums, and a re-mastering of the entire catalog of previous releases, including re-recording in 2004 tracks from their 1984 Stay Hungry album under the new title Still Hungry, which includes the rock anthems "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It." [24]

French signed with Razor & Tie for the 2006 release of the band's "A Twisted Xmas - Live In Las Vegas" on DVD, CD, and Digital Video/Audio. [25] The songs "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" have been featured in commercials, movies, and political and sporting events, including in a Super Bowl ad. [26]

With the advent of iTunes and other online music services, Twisted Sister reestablished the band's ownership of its music.

In 2007, French and Twisted Sister were first year inductees of the Long island Music Hall of Fame. [27]

French stated in 2018 current incarnations of Judas Priest and Foreigner were cover bands because most of their classic lineups were no longer involved. He compared them unfavorably to Twisted Sister, stating, "Every (Twisted Sister) show is perfect. Every show is the last show of our life. Every show is done with the sincerity and the heartfelt desire to make sure you walk out thinking that's the best thing you're ever gonna see." [28]

In 2019, French announced his retirement following Twisted Sister's last live performance, which included an appearance by KISS, in Monterrey, Mexico. [29] French gifted his guitars to members of the band's road crew, saying, 'Guys, thank you. It's been great. See you later.' I never looked back." [1] During his career with Twisted Sister, French estimates that he performed live with the band in more than 9,000 concert performances worldwide. [30]

The Pinkburst Project

In 1996, French's daughter Samantha was diagnosed at age 6 with uveitis, [31] a condition of the eye. In 2010, to raise money and awareness, French created The Pinkburst Project. [32] The project collected 14 pink custom-made guitars crafted by brands that included Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and Martin.

At a benefit concert, “The Pinkburst Project: An Evening with Twisted Sister," the guitars were auctioned off. The auction and concert raised more than $110,000 for the Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Foundation for research, education and support for those affected by Uveitis and other inflammatory eye diseases. [31]

Writing and speaking

French writes a business column for Inc.com titled "The French Connection." [33]

He is also a motivational speaker at corporate and business conferences, [34] including at an Inc. 500 conference. [35]

He is a contributing editor to Goldmine magazine for a Beatles column titled "Now We're Sixty Four!" [33]

He also writes a general music column titled "Twisted Systems" for the online music magazine Copper. [36]

Book

A business memoir, Twisted Business: We're Not Gonna Take it Anymore, co-written with French by Extreme Leadership founder, leadership speaker and author Steve Farber, is set for release in 2021 by RosettaBooks. [37]

Personal life

French's first wife, Jodie Glickman, sang in the chorus on Twisted Sister's Live at Wacken: The Reunion album [38] and is sister to the band's bass player, Mark Mendoza. French lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his third wife Sharon Gitelle, whom he married in Las Vegas in 2016 after a 13-year courtship. [39]

An avid runner, French has taken part in and completed two New York Marathons, in 1981 and 1986. [40]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dee Snider</span> American singer

Daniel Snider is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. The band's song "We're Not Gonna Take It" reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and was ranked No. 47 on 100 Greatest 80's Songs. Snider later formed and was the lead singer in the heavy metal bands Desperado, Widowmaker, and SMFs. He also released several solo albums. Snider was ranked #83 in the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twisted Sister</span> American heavy metal band

Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band formed in 1972, originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated with music videos noted for their sense of slapstick humor.

<i>Stay Hungry</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Twisted Sister

Stay Hungry is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on May 10, 1984, by Atlantic Records. The album contains the band's two signature songs: "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", both of which remain a staple of '80s glam metal and rock. According to RIAA certification, Stay Hungry is the band's most successful release by far and their only platinum album. Eventually, the album achieved multi-platinum status in U.S. with sales of more than 3,000,000 certified copies by 1995.

<i>Love Is for Suckers</i> 1987 studio album by Twisted Sister

Love Is for Suckers is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister. It was released by Atlantic Records in July 1987, with the single "Hot Love" being released on August 1. It was the band's last album before their breakup and subsequent reunion and release of Still Hungry in 2004. It is also their last album to be composed of entirely new, original material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister song)</span> 1984 single by Twisted Sister

"We're Not Gonna Take It" is a song by American rock band Twisted Sister from their album Stay Hungry. It was first released as a single on April 27, 1984. The Stay Hungry album was released two weeks later, on May 10, 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Ojeda</span> American musician

Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda is an American musician best known as a guitarist of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. He was a member of the band's classic lineup.

<i>Sevendust</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Sevendust

Sevendust is the debut studio album by American rock band Sevendust, released on April 15, 1997, through TVT Records.

<i>Come Out and Play</i> (Twisted Sister album) 1985 studio album by Twisted Sister

Come Out and Play is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released by Atlantic Records on November 9, 1985. The album was significantly less successful than its predecessor Stay Hungry (1984), both critically and commercially, although it achieved Gold status by selling more than 500,000 copies.

<i>Big Hits and Nasty Cuts</i> 1992 compilation album by Twisted Sister

Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister is a greatest hits compilation by American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister. It was released in 1992 by Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and by WEA International Inc. for the rest of the world. The track list consists solely of songs from their first three albums, omitting any material from Come Out and Play and Love Is for Suckers, except outside of the United States where "Bad Boys of Rock 'n' Roll" was replaced with "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" from Come Out and Play.

<i>Still Hungry</i> (Twisted Sister album) 2004 studio album of re-recorded songs by Twisted Sister

Still Hungry is an album by the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in 2004. The album is a re-recording of the 1984 album Stay Hungry, with seven bonus tracks. "Never Say Never" and "Blastin' Fast & Loud", were demoed during the original 1984 sessions, completed by the classic line-up in 2001 and recorded for the release of Club Daze Volume II: Live in the Bars in 2002. "Come Back", "Plastic Money", "You Know I Cry" and "Rock 'n' Roll Saviors" are brand new 2004 studio tracks. "Heroes Are Hard to Find" was originally recorded and released in 1998 by the reunited band for the soundtrack of Strangeland, a horror movie written by and starring frontman Dee Snider based on the character Captain Howdy from "Horror-Teria".

<i>A Twisted Christmas</i> 2006 studio album by Twisted Sister

A Twisted Christmas is the sixth and final studio album by American heavy metal group Twisted Sister, with the band releasing it on October 17, 2006. The album features classic Christmas songs performed in metal versions, often featuring lyrical changes.

<i>Live at Hammersmith</i> (Twisted Sister album) 1994 live album by Twisted Sister

Live at Hammersmith is a live album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on October 3, 1994. It was recorded on June 15, 1984, at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England.

<i>The Essentials</i> (Twisted Sister album) 2002 compilation album by Twisted Sister

The Essentials is a compilation album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in 2002.

<i>Club Daze Volume II: Live in the Bars</i> 2002 live album by Twisted Sister

Club Daze Volume II: Live in the Bars is a live album by the American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in 2002. The album contains live performances recorded for radio shows in 1979–1980 and two previously unreleased studio tracks. The studio tracks were written and demoed during the recording sessions for Stay Hungry (1984) and completed by the classic line-up in 2001.

<i>Live at Wacken: The Reunion</i> 2005 live album by Twisted Sister

Live at Wacken - The Reunion is a live album by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released on June 28, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Price (song)</span> 1984 song by Twisted Sister

"The Price" is a song by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in 1984 as the third and final single from their third studio album, Stay Hungry. The song was written by Dee Snider and produced by Tom Werman. "The Price" failed to reach the US Billboard Hot 100, stalling at number 8 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in January 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am (I'm Me)</span> 1983 song by Twisted Sister

"I Am (I'm Me)" is a song by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in 1983 as the lead single from their second studio album, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll. The song was written by Dee Snider and produced by Stuart Epps. "I Am (I'm Me)" was Twisted Sister's first chart hit, reaching number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. It was their highest-charting entry in the UK and remained in the top 75 for nine weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Kids Are Back</span> 1983 song by Twisted Sister

"The Kids Are Back" is a song by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in 1983 as the second single from their second studio album, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll. The song was written by Dee Snider and produced by Stuart Epps. "The Kids Are Back" was Twisted Sister's second chart hit, reaching number 32 in the UK Singles Chart and remaining in the top 75 for six weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Want What We Got</span> 1985 song by Twisted Sister

"You Want What We Got" is a song by American heavy metal band Twisted Sister, released in 1986 as the second single from their fourth studio album, Come Out and Play (1985). The song was written by Dee Snider and produced by Dieter Dierks.

References

  1. 1 2 "TWISTED SISTER's 'Blissfully Retired' Guitarist JAY JAY FRENCH Has 'No Desire' To Play Again". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. February 13, 2019.
  2. Giles, Jeff. "Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French Explains Band's Refusal to Allow Trump Campaign's Use of 'We're Not Gonna Take It'". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  3. "Barack Obama's new rock anthem". Ticket News. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  4. Popoff, Martin (2017). AC/DC: Album by Album. Voyageur Press. p. 249. ISBN   9780760353745 . Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  5. Rollins, Jay (December 6, 2016). "Twisted Special Holiday Interview with Twisted Sister's".
  6. (editor), EvilG (June 25, 2012). "Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French Interview on Dee Snider/Manowar/and the origins of Twisted Sister". Metal Rules. Retrieved May 23, 2014.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. "Jay Jay French - Twisted Sister". Ruokangas Guitars. May 2022.
  8. "Twisted Sister 2nd Lineup Portrait: Kenneth Harrison-Neill, JJ French, Michael Valentine, Billy Diamond..." Getty Images. January 1975. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  9. "Twisted Sister | Albums, Songs, Members". Metal Kingdom.
  10. Smith, DeAnn (June 4, 2013). "Dee Snider: 'People are going crazy' over Twisted Sister trademark fight". KCTV 5 News. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  11. "5 things you didn't know about Twisted Sister". Anschutz Entertainment Group. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  12. Crawford, Allyson B. "Jay Jay French of Twisted Sister: Management is A 'Tough, Tough Gig'". Noisecreep.
  13. "Twisted Sister". www.ukfestivalguides.com.
  14. "Mr. Blackwell's 10 Worst Dressed Women List (1984) - Classora Knowledge Base". en.classora.com.
  15. "Neil Young makes his solo debut - January 22, 1969". calendar.songfacts.com.
  16. Rockpit, The (11 March 2019). "VINTAGE INTERVIEW: Jay Jay French – Twisted Sister 2010 – The Rockpit".
  17. Stanton, Barry W. (January 13, 2018). "What Happened to Tina Sugandh? - 2018 Update".
  18. "Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister - Twisted Sister | Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  19. 1 2 "5 Things You May Not Have Known About Jay Jay French | Rhino". www.rhino.com.
  20. Louie, Tim (January 19, 2011). "Interview With Clint Lowery From Sevendust: Metal On Top". The Aquarian. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  21. Staff, Goldmine. "Twisted Sister: Hungrier than ever". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia.
  22. "Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French Defends Band's Decision To Play Select Shows And Not Make New Music". Blabbermouth. May 6, 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  23. "Twisted Sister Kicks Off Reunion With USO Stint". Billboard. April 23, 2003.
  24. "Twisted Sister : Still Hungry". ZRock. August 30, 2004.
  25. "TWISTED SISTER's 'A Twisted Xmas - Live In Las Vegas' To Be Released On CD, DVD, Digital". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. September 27, 2012.
  26. "TWISTED SISTER'S 'I WANNA ROCK' STARS IN FACEBOOK SUPER BOWL AD". Ultimate Classic Rock magazine. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  27. "Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French to Perform at EyeRock". Vision Monday. April 11, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  28. "TWISTED SISTER's JAY JAY FRENCH Says JUDAS PRIEST And FOREIGNER Have Turned Into 'Cover Bands'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 2018-04-22. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  29. "Watch TWISTED SISTER's Last-Ever Concert". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. November 14, 2016.
  30. "Jay Jay French: A Twisted Christmas". Epiphone. September 29, 2006. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  31. 1 2 "EyeWorld | Twisted Sister raises money for uveitis Band auctions guitars and plays benefit concert". www.eyeworld.org.
  32. Halbersberg, Elianne (January 17, 2011). "The Pinkburst Project". Premier Guitar. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  33. 1 2 "Jay Jay French debuts Beatles column for Goldmine". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia.
  34. "A Lesson In Survival: A Conversation With Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French – ListenIowa".
  35. "A Military Spouse at the Inc. 500I5000 Conference". Kallie & Co.
  36. "The Audio Tourist". Copper Magazine.
  37. French, Jay Jay (January 28, 2020). "Don't Stop Believin'--The Last Writes of Jay Jay French". Inc.com.
  38. "Live at Wacken: The Reunion - Twisted Sister | Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  39. "A Jewish Rock Star Shares His Las Vegas Wedding Tale". The Forward. 22 April 2017.
  40. Kjeldgaard, Alison (May 2, 2013). "Musical Fads Come and Go, But Rock Withstands Decades: Jay Jay French Talks about Respecting One's Fans and the Fads of Today's Music Industry". Galo. Retrieved May 23, 2014.