Jay Siegel and The Tokens
featuring original lead singer
JAY SIEGEL
Young men singing Doo Wop in high school bathrooms and on street corners across New York City was hardly extraordinary in the late 50s and early 60s. What is extraordinary, though, is the incredible feat that one of those groups from Brooklyn has accomplished.
First breaking onto the pop charts in 1961, THE TOKENS got back on the charts in the 1990s and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame in 2004.
THE TOKENS continue to distinguish themselves with the second-longest chart span in the history of Rock & Roll. More than 30 years after the debut of their first big hit, "TONIGHT I FELL IN LOVE", they re-emerged on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in August, 1994, following the re-release of their chart-topping single, "THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT." Making the statistic even more impressive, the South African folk song "Wimoweh," which inspired THE TOKENS’ song that went to 1 worldwide, first charted 42 years earlier. No other song title can claim that longevity.
The release of the Disney motion picture "The Lion King" prompted RCA to re-release "THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT" and a CD featuring a unique compilation of twenty of THE TOKENS' earlier tunes. It gives their fans a rare opportunity to enjoy THE TOKENS, both for the original songs they wrote and the songs by other artists that THE TOKENS later recorded in their own distinctive style.
While dyed-in-the-wool TOKENS fans know that JAY SIEGEL had always sung lead on the group's hits (including, "PORTRAIT OF MY LOVE," "LA BAMBA,†"B'WANINA," "HE'S IN TOWN," "SHE LETS HER HAIR DOWN," and "I HEAR TRUMPETS BLOW"), and know that he had a hand in writing many of them, some may not be aware of the number of his other significant contributions to the group.
THE TOKENS were one of the first and youngest groups to independently produce recordings for a major label, breaking into the really big-time in 1962, when they became the first vocal group to produce a 1 record for another vocal group (remember "He's So Fine" by The Chiffons?) That was the first of many smash hits Jay and his group had a hand in producing. They became the production geniuses behind numerous other hits by The Chiffons, as well as the biggest hits by Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Happenings, Randy and the Rainbows, and Robert John. While many know that the group Dawn was named by Jay after one of his daughters, it's a lesser known fact that Jay and two session singers actually were the group on Orlando's first album! He and THE TOKENS also sang backup vocals for such diverse artists as Del Shannon, Melissa Manchester, Connie Francis, The Blues Project, Keith, Mac Davis, Al Kooper & Bob Dylan.
Besides leaving their imprint on the pop music scene as singers, songwriters, arrangers, producers, and record executives, JAY SIEGEL and THE TOKENS were successes as writers, producers, and singers of commercials, reminding us that "Pan Am makes the going great...," "Ban won't wear off as the day...," and that Chesterfields are a “Silly Millimeter Longer". They were also the voices for Clairol, General Foods, Wrigley's gum, Eastern Airlines, Cool Whip and Wendy's.
That style and sound, of course, is elegantly defined by JAY SIEGEL, whose tenor lead and trademark falsetto have characterized all THE TOKENS' music since the group began recording, and continues to do so today as they perform around the country. The group consists of Bill Reid & Jay Traynor (He was the original "Jay" of The Americans, who sang the lead vocal on "She Cried")
JAY SIEGEL and THE TOKENS are truly one of the pop music scene's most versatile, talented and enduring groups.
