Jay was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia. His father and grandfather were both slaves in Washington County, Georgia. His grandfather was also a banjo player and imparted a vast repertoire of old-time and folk songs to Abner. He started playing in medicine shows when he was 5. In 1932 he joined the Silas Green Minstrels and would later go on to lead the WMAZ Minstrels on Macon radio from 1946--56, before going solo. He spent many years travelling the American South and playing concerts from his \"converted mobile home that opened up into a portable stage, complete with amplification and home furnishings\"[1]. These concerts, as evidenced in his recordings, were often equal parts spoken word (jokes, philosophical asides, rants) and music. Common instruments on his recordings include harmonica, drum kit, a six-string banjo (that Jay claimed was made in 1748), and the \"bones\", which were chicken and cow bones that had been bleached in the sun and used to create percussion. Jay's song repertoire included field songs, Pentecostal hymns and minstrel tunes. He once described himself as the \"last working Southern black minstrel\". He also performed original material that was mostly secular, and subjects ranged from politics, relationships, war, the bible and depression. In later years he held a residency, playing shows and selling his LPs and cassette tapes at Tom Flynn's Plantation Restaurant in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Anthony Braxton, renowned American composer and philosopher, called Jay an \"American Master\"[2].
For many years, Jay released his music and monologues through his own record label, Brandie Records (so-named for his daughter). In 2003 Subliminal Sounds from Sweden released a compilation of his work, which had been out of print since the 1970s, drawing from three of Jay's best recordings. In 2009 Portland-based label Mississippi Records released another compilation of his work, this time on vinyl. These re-releases helped garner a degree of renewed interest in the artist, including Vice Magazine naming it album of the month (Vol. 10 #11). Recordings Jay made three months prior to his death are currently being prepared for release by Mississippi Records.
