Eugene Stephen Jay, born January 26, 1951, in Detroit, Michigan, is an American guitarist and bassist who first gained attention through African music and later as a longâtime collaborator of âWeird Alââ¯Yankovic. After earning a BA and MM in composition from the University of South Florida in 1972, Jay studied drumming in Niger for two and a half years, producing field recordings later released as Africa: Drum, Chant & Instrumental Music (1976) and Ghana: Ancient Ceremonies, Songs & Dance Music (1979) under the name Steve Jay. In 1981, he joined âWeird Alââ¯Yankovicâs act, contributing bass and guitar to every album, video, and tour. Jay also founded the ethnoâfunk duo Akâ¯&â¯Zuie, released solo albums Tangled Strings (1999) and Things Change (2013), and scored over fifty PBS specials, including three that won the George Foster Peabody Award.
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