Jay Jacobs Biography continued

About the same time the British invasion was taking place. Jay booked part of the first U.S. tour for the ROLLING STONES, as well as THE ANIMALS with Eric Burdon ("House of the Rising Sun") and other hit groups of the time.

"One of the most exciting days in my early career was when I convinced my boss to let me rent a limo to pick up a new unknown British artist, DAVID BOWIE. I picked up DAVID and his manager at JFK Airport for their first ever trip to the U.S. The first thing David said was, "I want to see Carnegie Hall." By that time I knew almost all the stage door managers in town and they let us walk that world-famous stage. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to work out a deal for Bowie's representation as my bosses wanted more commission than David was willing to pay. You can't win 'em all."

Jay capitalized on the success of his clients by doing the best job that could be done, understanding that the reputation he built was going to be the cornerstone to his success. "I always treated my clients and buyers as I would like to be treated...with honesty, integrity, respect and a strong sense of fair play."

Jay put together the 1984 reunion tour of CROSBY, STILLS, NASH which continued to tour for many years. About the same time, he also co-represented and booked Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, and others.

Jay viewed packaging as critical. "I always packaged, if possible, to maximize an artist's audience exposure and to all but guarantee a box office success." Putting the TEMPTATIONS and THE O'JAY'S together paid off big time in all the major outdoor summer venues as well as in hotels and casinos. He did the same with-- Al Jarreau and George Benson--Miles Davis & Al Jarreau--Ashford & Simpson & Teddy Pendergrass --etc., etc.

Before Jay decided to take his knowledge and expertise to the most powerful media of all time, he pumped new energy into the careers of Melissa Manchester, Michael Feinstein, David Sanborn, Anne Murray, Three Dog Night, The Moody Blues, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, etc.

"I feel strongly that I can guide and direct the careers of thousands by sharing my expertise on the internet. What an amazing wonderful time I live in. Being able to share my wealth of knowledge, my expertise to the world, seems to be the next natural step in my professional evolution. I feel I can start over again without working for a major talent agency and all the internal distractions that go with it--- and that is very stimulating and exciting to me."

"If you remember nothing else, remember this.... TALENT WILL ALWAYS WIN OUT. ...One of the bands I saw early on, "The Ohio Players", I predicted was going to headline Radio City and I told them so. In 2 years, they headlined at New York's Radio City Music Hall, selling out three nights (21,000 tickets). Years later, they reminded me of what I had said to them. That was a wonderful moment for me. That validated what I've always believed in with all my heart....

"TALENT WILL ALWAYS WIN OUT!"

Here's to your success!

To return to the first page of Jay's biography, click here.
To see a list of some of Jay's clients, click here.