Biography
Abner Wingate Jay (1921–1993) was an American multi‑instrumentalist, singer, and storyteller from rural Georgia who built a singular career as a one‑man band and self‑styled "last working Southern black minstrel." Born near Ocilla/Fitzgerald, Georgia, into a family with deep roots in the region, he learned music from relatives, especially a banjo‑playing grandfather and a father who played guitar and harmonica, absorbing older field songs, spirituals, and folk pieces that predated commercial blues and jazz. As a child he performed in medicine shows and for white plantation owners, experiences that shaped both his repertoire and his often confrontational spoken introductions about Southern life and race.
By his teens Jay was working the vaudeville and tent‑show circuit, including stints with minstrel troupes such as the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and Silas Green from New Orleans, before gradually developing his trademark solo setup of banjo or guitar, harmonica, bass drum, cymbal, and “bones” or jawbone percussion played simultaneously. In adulthood he sang with gospel quartets, led R&B and rock‑and‑roll bands, and briefly tried to break into Broadway, while also working behind the scenes as a booking agent for stars like Little Richard and James Brown. From the 1960s onward he focused on touring the American South in a customized trailer that unfolded into a stage, performing in clubs, parks, college campuses, and folk‑culture centers while self‑releasing small‑run LPs and cassettes on his Brandie Records imprint.
Jay’s music blended blues, old‑time folk, minstrel tunes, Stephen Foster songs, gospel, and improvised monologues into a raw, personal style that many later listeners classified as “outsider music.” His gravelly baritone—shaped in part by surviving throat cancer in his twenties—delivered songs that moved freely between comic patter and stark reflections on politics, religion, mental health, Southern history, and Black musical traditions. During his lifetime he remained largely obscure outside regional and folk circles, but posthumous reissues, critical championing, and recognition from figures such as composer Anthony Braxton have led many to regard him as a unique American original and a precursor to later DIY, lo‑fi, and underground folk artists.
Fun Facts
- Jay traveled in a mobile home that unfolded into a makeshift stage covered with hand‑painted signs, turning parking lots and roadside stops into impromptu theaters.
- He often accompanied himself on 'bones' made from animal bones and on jawbones used as percussion, linking his act to some of the earliest documented forms of African American rhythm performance.
- Jay ran his own label, Brandie Records—named after his daughter—pressing very small editions of LPs that he sold mainly at his shows.
- Before concentrating on his one‑man‑band act, he worked as a booking agent and promoter for major R&B stars, including Little Richard and James Brown.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Abner Jay's grandfather - Taught him a large repertoire of old‑time banjo and folk songs from the oral tradition, giving him a foundation in pre‑blues Southern music. (Traditional field songs, folk ballads, and minstrel‑era pieces incorporated across Jay's live sets and self‑released albums.) [1920s–1930s (childhood and early teens)]
- Abner Jay's father - A guitarist and harmonica player whose example and instruments exposed Jay to early blues and gospel styles. (Early blues‑based material Jay later reworked on records such as 'One Man Band' and his Brandie Records LPs.) [1920s–1930s]
Key Collaborators
- Rabbit Foot Minstrels - Traveling minstrel and vaudeville troupe with which Jay performed music, comedy, and hambone/jawbone routines before going fully solo. (Live minstrel and variety shows across the American South (no widely documented commercial recordings with Jay).) [Early 1930s]
- Silas Green from New Orleans - Rival tent‑show company where Jay worked as a musician and performer, refining his stagecraft and one‑man‑band presentation. (Touring tent shows mixing music, comedy, and dance; influence carried into albums like 'True Story of Dixie.') [1930s]
- The Sunlight Four - Jubilee‑style gospel quartet Jay sang with, which influenced his vocal phrasing and religious repertoire. (Unrecorded or poorly documented quartet performances that informed later sacred songs on his solo albums.) [World War II era]
- Jay Brothers band - His own band that toured during World War II, playing dance music and early rhythm‑and‑blues material. (Road performances and early R&B‑style arrangements of songs he later recast in solo form.) [1940s]
Artists Influenced
- Anthony Braxton - Avant‑garde composer who publicly praised Jay as an 'American master,' reflecting the respect Jay earned among experimental and jazz circles. (Braxton's broader engagement with American vernacular and folk sources, rather than a specific tribute recording.) [Recognition and commentary from the late 20th century onward]
- Contemporary outsider and lo‑fi folk artists - Later generations of independent musicians and labels cite Jay as a forerunner of DIY self‑release practices and raw, personal folk expression. (Post‑2000 reissues like 'One Man Band' and 'The True Story of Dixie' became reference points for underground folk recordings.) [2000s–present (posthumous influence)]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| I Don't Have Time To Lie To You | 2021-10-01 | Album |
| True Story Of... | 2009-06-05 | Album |
| Folk Song Stylist | 2010-03-15 | Album |
| The Love Wheel | 2012-07-24 | Album |
| One Man Band | 2003-06-15 | Album |
| One Man Band | 2003-06-15 | Album |
| One Man Band | 2003-06-15 | Album |
| One Man Band | 2003-06-15 | Album |
| One Man Band | 2003 | Album |
Top Tracks
- My Baby Is Coming Back To Me (I Don't Have Time To Lie To You)
- I'm So Depressed (True Story Of...)
- Hard Working Man (I Don't Have Time To Lie To You)
- Cocaine (True Story Of...)
- Plum Nelly (I Don't Have Time To Lie To You)
- The Reason Young People Use Drugs (True Story Of...)
- St James Infirmiry Blues (True Story Of...)
- I'm So Depressed (I Don't Have Time To Lie To You)
- Woke Up This Morning (True Story Of...)
- Ol Man River (True Story Of...)
External Links
Tags: #country-blues, #country-soul, #spirituals
Heard on WWOZ
abner jay has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 4, 2025 | 19:10 | my baby is coming back to me | R&Bw/ Your Cousin Dimitri |