Jay Bennett profile picture

Jay Bennett

The Magnificent Defeat OUT NOW!

About Me

Jay Bennett was a significant force behind the evolving sound, increasingly mature songwriting, and success of the twice Grammy-nominated Wilco for 7 years. Jay made his studio debut with Wilco on 1996's Being There, and stayed through the final sessions of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Bennett also contributed heavily to Mermaid Avenue, Volume I and Volume 2 - a joint project with British songwriter Billy Bragg - which brought previously unreleased Woody Guthrie lyrics to light and to life. Since leaving Wilco, Jay teamed up with his long-time friend and musical collaborator, Edward Burch, to release 2002's critically-acclaimed The Palace at 4 a.m. (Part 1). Edward and Jay had worked together in one capacity or another for about seven years, with Jay first becoming acquainted with Edward in Illinois. At the time, Jay belonged to the bands Steve Pride & His Blood Kin and Titanic Love Affair. Jay followed up this collaborative effort with two solo records, Beloved Enemy and Bigger than Blue in 2004.
In addition to his well-regarded Wilco and solo work, Jay is also a highly skilled and respected producer and sought after session musician. He has contributed his intstrumental or production talents to a long list of artists that includes Garrison Starr, Adam Schmitt, Billy Joe Shaver, Allison Moorer, Jellyfish, Sherry Rich, Tim Easton, Tommy Keene, Jeff Black, and Sheryl Crow.
One of his latest production efforts was Blues Traveler's Bastardos!, released in September of 2005 on Vanguard, a project which caused the songwriting flood gates to open. Jay went on a creative tear, writing and recording over 70 songs, and the good folks at Rykodisc released the album titled The Magnificent Defeat which captured this output on September 26th, 2006.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/28/2005
Band Website: jay-bennett.com
Band Members: Become a "band member," and get the latest and greatest in regards to Jay; join his email list:

Sounds Like: Elvis Costello mixed with Tom Waits, with a hint of The Replacements and Nick Lowe.
Record Label: Rykodisc
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Jay Featured Today on Daytrotter.com!

Hey Folks -Thought you'd be interested in checking out the always top-notch web site, daytrotter.com, as they've been kind enough to feature Jay today. During his Fall Tour last year, we had the chan...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:48:00 PST

Let's Rock Double Door/Chicago Saturday Night

Hey Folks -Wanted to let everyone know that I'll be playing in sub-zero Chicago this Saturday night at Double Door with good friends Death Ships, and helping Backyard Tire Fire celebrate their record ...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:33:00 PST

Cast Your Vote!

Hey Folks -Jeff Macklin here, Jay's manager. Jay just sent out a reminder about his upcoming tour (hope you all can come out!), but I also wanted to pass along a quick request for "your vote!"If you'...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Wed, 06 Dec 2006 07:43:00 PST

West Coast Bound - See You Soon!

Hey There -Just a "gentle" reminder that I kick off five West Coast shows tomorrow night at The Tractor Tavern in Seattle. This will be followed by Roturre in Portland, Old Ironsides in Sacramento, R...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Wed, 06 Dec 2006 07:25:00 PST

West Coast Bound in December!

Hey Folks -We're gearing up to head west early next month, with good friends Death Ships. Hope to see you out and about!Tour dates are as follows:Thursday December 7 Tractor Tavern Sea...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Tue, 21 Nov 2006 08:14:00 PST

Contest Announcement!

As most of you know by now, Jay recently released his latest solo record, The Magnificent Defeat.To celebrate, we're kicking off a contest where you can win a bunch of great prizes from Jay. We've got...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Fri, 17 Nov 2006 03:00:00 PST

See You on the Road!!

Hey Folks -Wanted to remind you that Jay will be hitting the road for the next two weeks in support of his new Rykodisc album "The Magnificent Defeat," and we'd love to see you all out and about - ful...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:31:00 PST

Jay's Album, "The Magnificent Defeat," Released Tomorrow!!

Hey Folks -Just a reminder that Jay Bennett's new record, "The Magnficent Defeat, comes out tomorrow! Whether you prefer the full artwork CD-version from your local or online retailer, or the digital...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:10:00 PST

October Tour Dates Finally Announced!

Hey Folks -Wanted to forward along the Rykodisc press release announcing Jay's upcoiming tour in October. If your city's not on the list, not to worry! More dates will be coming in December and early ...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Mon, 11 Sep 2006 01:22:00 PST

"The Magnificent Defeat" Now at Radio - Please Help Us Out with Requests!

Hey Folks -Jeff Macklin here again, Jay's manager. We're less than a month away from Jay's record, "The Magnficent Defeat" (Rykodisc), hitting stores on Sept. 26th, and as we've mentioned in the past...
Posted by Jay Bennett on Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:44:00 PST