|
He is a blind pianist/keyboardist born Jacob Astor
Spell in Sampson County, North Carolina. He attended a school for the blind from the time he was
6 years old and had to remain in the dorm as he was too far away from home
to commute. At the time one of
his fellow students was his friend Ronnie Milsap and together they formed a
band. He studied violin and piano there
and later went on to attend the Oberlin Conservatory to concentrate on the piano. He didn't stay there too long as he
decided that he wanted to veer towards rock and roll and so returned home
to North Carolina. Becoming
known, he soon was making it out in the world of music and has toured and
recorded with many artists that include Judy Collins, Steve Cropper, Jose
Feliciano, Eddie Floyd, Vern Gosdin, Tim Krekel, John Mayall, Poco, Jeannie
C, Riley, Dan Seals, The Tams, Greg "Fingers" Taylor, Randy Travis, Conway
Twitty and Tammy Wynette to name a few, as well as being a member of the
group Tower of Power. The
countless albums he has appeared on include Son of a Son of a Sailor
by Jimmy Buffett, Christmas Album by Canned Heat, Cowgirl's Prayer
by Emmylou Harris,. His time
with Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band saw him touring with him
during 1977 and 1978 and also making an appearance in the 1978 movie FM. He is currently receiving treatment
for oesophagal cancer and several of his musician friends have raised money
by holding a fundraising concert.
Jimmy Buffett recordings
Cheeseburger in Paradise (Jimmy Buffet)
Sources:
- http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=280825150
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2809306/
- http://www.buffettnews.com/bandmember47.html
- http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Jay%20Spell:1927183502?sort=az
- http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3pfrxqygldke~T4
|
