Jay King

Jay King is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, record label executive, music manager and radio show host. In 1986, he formed the music group Club Nouveau, whose remake of Lean on Me earned King a Grammy Award nomimation as well as charting at #1 on Billboard's R&B chart. King produced Timex Social Club's Rumors (Timex Social Club song), released on his indie label Jay Records, which charted at #1 on Billboard's R&B chart."Club Nouveau’s King-size Hit" by Rob Hoerburger, The Daily Sentinel, Page 33, April 24, 1987 
In 1986, King formed, King Jay Records, which released six albums for Club Nouveau, as well as albums by Michael Cooper and Theresa."Jay King Promised to do Big Things in the Name of Pop Music: He Delivered" by Dave Barton, The Sacramento Bee, Page 254, November 29, 1987 He has released three solo albums, Open Book, Helen's Son, and Soulful Bossa Nova, all of which received favorable reviews. Good Kind of Lovin, from Helen's Son, charted in the top-10 on UK's Soul chart in 2018. 
King is the founder of The Creative Exchange Music Summit weekend intensive program educating creatives in the entertainment industry and has authored two books on the topic. He is a radio show host on Traffic Jams with Jay King on KDEE-LP|KDEE 97.5 FM as well as hosting his own podcast, The Way I See it and Kings in the Morning, on the The Jay King Network.
==Early life==
Jay King was born in Oroville, California to parents Helen and Jay King Jr. After his parents separated his mother moved to San Francisco and later to Sacramento, California, where Jay was raised and began playing the trumpet. Jay's father lived in Vallejo so he attended junior high school and high school in both Sacramento and Vallejo. He left home when he was 14 years old and was a dancer and entertainer."He's the King: Ask Him" by Dennis Hunt, Los Angeles Times, Page 373, April 12, 1987 He formed the break dance group, Jay King & the Unknowns, who performed at high schools, parties, and on the streets, with a local following in Vallejo and the San Francisco Bay Area."Record Success: Making Money and Hits is Easy for Jay King" by Dave Barton, The Sacramento Bee, Page 201, November 16, 1986
King was in the Air Force "Brash Young Man Giving Pop the Business" by Lee Hildebrand, San Francisco Examiner, Page 257, April 5, 1987 and after leaving the military he decided to remain in Alaska, where he had been stationed. He formed the dance group Close Encounters of the Funkiest Kind, opening shows for The Pointer Sisters, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and INXS, among other acts. After returning to Sacramento, he formed the rap group, Frost, releasing the single, Battlebeat, and for a short period of time was a concert promoter for such acts as Run DMC.
== Record Labels ==
* Jay Records
King launched independent label Jay Records in 1986 after not being able to get secure a record deal for Timex Social Club's, single Rumors (Timex Social Club song). He independently produced and marketed the 12-inch single to radio stations, dance clubs, and soon the song gained traction on Billboard charts, becoming one the best selling independent releases of 1986. 
* King Jay Records
King produced and released Club Nouveau's debut album, Life, Love & Pain, which certified Platinum and yielded three top-ten Billboard hit songs, including Lean on Me which charted at #1 on Billboard's R&B Chart for 2 consecutive weeks.King Jay Records, releasing The label released five additional Nouveau albums as well as albums by Michael Cooper and Theresa's album, Broken Puzzle, whose single Last Time charted at #17 on Billboard's Hot Black chart.
==Discography==
Year	Song 	Artist 	Credit
1986	Life, Love & Pain 	Club Nouveau 	Artist, composer, producer, record label
1987	Broken Puzzles 	Theresa 	Composer, producer, record label
1987	Love is Such a Funny Game	Michael Cooper	Composer, producer, arranger, record label
1988	Listen to the Message 	Club Nouveau 	Artist, composer, producer, record label
1989	Under a Nouveau Groove 	Club Nouveau 	Artist, composer, producer, record label
1989	I Promise 	Mikki Bleu 	Record label
1992	A New Beginning 	Club Nouveau 	Artist, composer, producer, record label
1994	Everything is Black 	Club Nouveau 	Artist, composer, producer, record label
1997	What U Gotta Say 	Rodney O 	Executive Producer
2015	Consciousness 	Club Nouveau 	Artist, composer, producer, record label
==Solo Albums==
Year	Song 	Artist 	Credit
2008	Open Book 	Jay King	Artist, composer, producer, record label
2017	Helen's Son 	Jay King	Artist, composer, producer, record label
2021	Soulful Bossa Nova	Jay King	Artist, composer, producer, record label
==Personal Life==
King's great-uncle, Saunders King, was a respected jazz/blues guitarist with the 1940s hit song, The S.K. Blues.
Category:African-American songwriters
Category:American R&B singers
Category:American talk radio hosts
Category:African-American record producers