Ep 26: Jay Double You! [SLIGHT RETURN]

“As long as you’re consistent, things can happen.” So says solo artist JAY DOUBLE YOU!—who began his funk career as a pro drummer in the late 70s at Don Davis’ legendary United Sound Studios in Detroit. His golden opportunity came in the form of a session with none other than OG Parliament vocalist Fuzzy Haskins, who had landed his own solo deal at Westbound. “Fuzzy, he gave me my first major session,” says Jay Dub, then known as Jim Wright. “He lived not too far from my mom’s house.” Indeed, for young Jim, Parliament-Funkadelic had been a family affair ever since grade school, when he first got to know Bernie Worrell, George Clinton and the rest of the P-Funk camp through his big sister, vocalist Debbie Wright.

Jay Dub remembers that first official session well. “Fuzzy was gonna play drums,” Dub explains, “cause normally he played drums on his stuff… I happened to be in the studio… I was like ‘Hey Fuzz. Wassup man? Can I give it a go?’ Me knowin’ him, he said ‘Okay Jim.’” Even so, young Wright knew full well that a chance wasn’t a guarantee, as friendship and nepotism didn’t get you very far when it came to laying down the funk. “You had to be quick, ‘cause money is being spent,” he explains. “You didn’t get too many chances.”

So Jay Dub went over to the drums and sat down, with Glenn Goins, Garry Shider, & Cordell “Boogie” Mosson holding their instruments and staring at him like: Why is Debbie’s little brother in here when we’re about to record? But little did they know, the Kid was ready. “They counted off, and I hit it in one take, man,” reports Jay. “Pocket. Timing. Solid. And from there I end up doing two more songs that night with ‘em. I would do a song, they would say ‘Take a break. Let us mix. We’ll call you for the next one.’” Seven hours later and $400 richer, young Mr. Wright had been fully matriculated into P University.

George C, Jay Dub, & Sly Stone — *[George C, Jay Dub, &* ***Sly Stone***]

Word spread to George C about what went down. “Fuzzy gave me that shot, and from there I guess George heard it,” recalls Jay Dub. “And next thing I knew, I was called down to the studio.” Significantly, Dr. Funkenstein wound up pulling Jay Dub into a marathon session with the nimble-fingered bassist Rodney “Skeet” Curtis, recording songs that were turned into funky headwreckers which wound up on such classic records as Parlet’s Pleasure Principle and Bernie Worrell’s All the Woo in the World. All of this established Jay Dub’s reputation as a pocket drummer, and some serious heads within the camp were starting to take notice.

Yet, by the time the 1980s came along, the wind was starting to blow in a different direction. The drum machine, once a novelty, was becoming more significant in the music industry by the day, predicting a cruel fate for live drummers. A still quite young Mr. Wright saw the writing on the studio wall and decided it was time to expand his skills. Enter Don Davis, owner of United Sound and mentor to local talent. “He was great to me,” Dub remembers of Don. “Anyone that had enough confidence, he would give you a shot… He would at least throw you in the studio to do some demos.” And when Jay Dub found out producers got paid double scale, he really got inspired.

So he improved his keyboard skills, grabbed the mic, and began to record his own ideas instead of someone else’s. “It’s a growth thing until the end, basically,” he says of his evolution toward becoming a singer/songwriter. “You’re always learning. You’re always trying to adjust if you choose to move forward.” As it turned out, part of moving forward was getting out of his deal with Davis in order to go independent. From there, Jim, now Jay Double, put out his own singles and LPs. He even started his own clothing line.

We first met and talked to Jay Double You! for Episode 5 of Aced Out back in the fall of 2019, when we were still a struggling little podcast trying find our footing. He gave us a fascinating and fun interview that focused heavily on his P-Funk days but also featured some of his super dope solo work. But the “fun with a K” didn’t stop there, not by a long shot. As it turned out, Dub not only enjoyed his moment in the spotlight, but also connected spiritually with Aced Out’s mission and raison d’etre: to give props where props are due.

“It’s hard for musicians to give each other credit,” laments Jay Dub. “I say, ‘Genius, recognize genius.’” And we here at Aced Out know firsthand that the man practices what he preaches.

Indeed, Dub recognized the opportunity to share the wealth and, with our blessing and gratitude, got on the phone to recruit some old friends for the cause. Consequently, the man has been an integral part of Aced Out’s ever-expanding body of work, garnering us classic interviews with Joe “Pep” Harris of Undisputed Truth and the late Robin Russell of New Birth, as well as his fellow P-Funk alumni Rick Gardner of the Horny Horns, Steve Boyd, Andre Foxxe, and Grady Thomas.

For this second appearance on Aced Out, Jay Dub traveled all the way from Suwanee, GA to join us in the Bay Area. In this intimate, in-person interview, Dub describes his transition from player to producer, explains how his subconscious guides his songwriting process, and reveals the secret to Tiki Fulwood’s high-hat technique. Jay Dub also raps about why Junie Morrison loved singing over his drum tracks, learning rudiments from Tyrone Lampkin, and that time he made George Clinton bacon and eggs for breakfast. If all that weren’t enough, Jay Stone & Ace Alan and a buncha Bay Area heavy hitters (listed below) help Jay Dub perform the title track to his funktastic solo joint, I’ll See You Soon (2001)!

Produced & Hosted by Ace Alan
Cohosted by Jay Stone
Executive Producer: Scott Sheppard
w/ Content Produced by Jay Double You!
Website, Art & Graphics by 3chards
w/ major props to Nat Collins

Live Version of “I’ll See You Soon” Featuring:

Jay Double You! — clavinet, vocals
Femi Andrades — vocals
Vanessa Love — vocals
Alan Williams — trombone
Al Lazard — sax
Ocea Savage — synth
Kyle “Coyote” Collins — synth percussion
Chris McGrew — drums
Jay Stone — guitar
Ace Alan — bass

Engineered by Chris McGrew for Wally’s Hyde Out @ Hyde Street Studios, San Francisco
Video by RoAn Gibson for X Racer Productions
With thanks to Maryzelle Ungo
Sound Editing, Video Editing & Graphics by Nick “WAES” Carden for Off Hand Records in Oakland