WWW- Chart-topping 1960s crooner Jay Black [pictured right] may not have much these days, but he has his name.
Black, the former lead singer of the group Jay and the Americans, won a legal battle in his bankruptcy case this week for the right to perform under his stage name after lawyers suggested it be auctioned off to help pay his creditors.
“That’s my legacy,” he said of the name on Wednesday. “It’s what I leave behind when I’m gone.”
Black owed $500,000 in back taxes thanks to a gambling addiction that plunged him into debt. He filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Central Islip last year hoping for a fresh start.
But the singer, whose hits include “This Magic Moment” and “Cara Mia,” said he’s conquered his habit, is free of debt and is eager to start performing again under his stage name.
“I’m thrilled to have my name back,” said the singer, who was born David Blatt. “I did a show in Westbury, and we had to say, `Jay’s Back.’ It was rough.”
He may have some competition, though, since the name of the band was auctioned off in the proceedings for $100,000 to a former member. Lawyers for the bankruptcy trustee handling the case considered the band name a valuable asset.
Original band member Sandy Yaguda bought the rights to the name with his son and plans to perform under it with former members Howard Kerschenbaum and Marty Coopersmith. The group split up in 1973.
“We have a new Jay,” Yaguda said. “It’s our third Jay. This has nothing to do with Jay Black. We are Jay and the Americans.”
Black’s attorney, Lenard Leeds, said the settlement was a victory, regardless of the band name.
“He can use Jay Black and his hits, and hopefully he can get back on his feet and earn some money,” Leeds said.
But Black, 68, said he was still uncomfortable with the idea of Jay competition.
“Having an impostor group go out, that bothers me,” he said. “I don’t know who’s going to be singing these songs. Even if someone does a great impersonation of me, it’s still not me.”
The gray-haired Black said his fans have stuck with him, selling out most of his concerts along the East Coast and in Las Vegas.
Two of his biggest fans are the children of the late Mafia boss John Gotti, Victoria Gotti and John “Junior” Gotti. At the elder Gotti’s request, Black performed “Cara Mia” at both their weddings.
Black became friendly with Gotti when they met as young adults in Brooklyn.