Steve Jay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Jay
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eugene Stephen Jay |
| Born | January 26, 1951 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Bassist |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, banjo, guitar, keyboards, flute, recorder, vocals |
Eugene Stephen Jay (born January 26, 1951) is an American musician. He is best known as a bassist who plays with the famous comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. Steve Jay also plays many other instruments, including guitar, banjo, and flute.
Contents
About Steve Jay
Early Life and Music Journey
Steve Jay was born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 26, 1951. He studied music composition at the University of South Florida. After college, he traveled to Niger in West Africa. There, he spent two and a half years learning about drumming and traditional music. He even made recordings of African ceremonies and dances. These recordings were later released as albums.
Working with "Weird Al" Yankovic
In 1981, Steve Jay saw an advertisement in a newspaper. It was for a musician to play with "Weird Al" Yankovic. Steve auditioned and got the job! Since then, he has played bass on all of "Weird Al"'s albums, music videos, and live concerts. He is a very important part of "Weird Al"'s band.
Other Music Projects
Besides working with "Weird Al," Steve Jay has many other music projects. He is part of a music group called Ak & Zuie. He has also created music for more than 50 TV shows and specials on PBS. Some of these shows even won special awards called George Foster Peabody Awards. Steve Jay has also released many of his own solo albums. He has played music for many other artists too.
Music Steve Jay Has Made
Albums with "Weird Al" Yankovic
Steve Jay has played on all of these albums with "Weird Al" Yankovic:
- "Weird Al" Yankovic
- "Weird Al" Yankovic In 3-D
- Dare to Be Stupid
- Polka Party!
- Even Worse
- UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff
- Off the Deep End
- Alapalooza
- Bad Hair Day
- Running with Scissors
- Poodle Hat
- Straight Outta Lynwood
- Alpocalypse
- Mandatory Fun
Steve Jay's Solo Albums
Steve Jay has released many albums on his own:
- Sea Never Dry – 1997
- Film Music – 1998 (This album has short pieces from his TV and film music)
- Tangled Strings – 1999
- Self Avoiding Random Walk – 2000
- Outer Voice – 2004
- Rounder Gaze – 2004
- Friction – 2004
- Plus – 2004
- Physical Answer – 2008
- Chaos, Clouds and Tongue – 2011
- Things Change – 2013
- El Natural 7 – 2016
- Spontaneous Symmetry – 2016
- When One Remains – 2016
- So Do I Sadie – 2018
- Vita Beata – 2022
Albums with Ak & Zuie
- Non-Franciscan Duets
Other Albums He Contributed To
- Ghana: Ancient Ceremonies, Songs, and Dance Music
- Dances of the World
- West Africa: Drum, Chant, and Instrumental Music
- Deep Forest
- Late in the 20th Century: An Elektra / Nonesuch New Music Sampler
