Jay Bennett Biography
Jay Bennett is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of Titanic Love Affair, which recorded three albums in the 1990s: Titanic Love Affair (1991), No Charisma (1992), and Their Titanic Majesty's Request (1996). Bennett was a member of Wilco from 1996 through 2001. He is generally considered to have had a major role in moving Wilco forward musicially, but at the same time being difficult to work with. Conflicts between frontman Jeff Tweedy and Bennett that would contribute to Bennett's firing from Wilco are visible in the Sam Jones film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco.
Since leaving Wilco Bennett has released 4 albums. The first, entitled The Palace at 4am (Undertow Music), is a collaboration with Champaign musician Edward Burch. 2004's Bigger than Blue is a more stripped-down set of personal songs. In the same year he released The Beloved Enemy, which saw Bennett exploring his personal turmoil in even more intimate detail. In 2005, he produced jam band Blues Traveler's eighth studio album, ¡Bastardos!. His most recent album, The Magnificent Defeat, was released in September, 2006. Bennett lives in Urbana, Illinois, where he spends most of his time writing songs and recording in his private studio.
Jay 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 will release an album from this effort titled The Magnificent Defeat on September 26th, 2006.
