"He was in the middle of recording another solo album in Champaign when he died over the weekend at age 45....A cause of death was not immediately available, nor was information on survivors. The Champaign County coroner's office did not return messages, according to The Associated Press."
-Chicago Tribune
This really saddened me. Jay had an unfortunate run. What most people don't know is that Jay was responsible for the change in Wilco, the style and aesthetic changes that led to their masterpiece, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I say his run was unfortunate because he was kicked out of the band shortly after they finished the album. Also, Jay was a great songwriter. If you haven't heard "Venus Stop the Train," you must hear it. It's a Jay Bennett track that never made it to the album. I recommend the version with Jeff Tweedy on vocals. That's the thing. Jay had gargantuan talent, but he wasn't a front man. To be successful, he needed to work through someone with that indefinable quality. It's a shame. You are truly born a singer and front man. It cannot be taught. The origin of it, the aura and inflection of a good singers delivery, is truly a weird mystery. When Wilco dropped him (probably due to power struggles between he and Tweedy) Jay had no place to go. He really was forced to start over again, playing the songs he wrote with Wilco and making solo albums, which in my opinion he was not fit to deliver correctly. It's a great loss.
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