Jay Reatard

James Lee Lindsey Jr. (May 1, 1980 – January 12, 2010), known professionally as Jay Reatard, was an American rock musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was signed to Matador Records. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of the Reatards and Lost Sounds.

Biography

Early life Lindsey was born in Lilbourn, Missouri, on May 1, 1980. He and his family moved to Memphis when he was 8 years old, since his father struggled to find employment in his hometown. His recording career began at age 15, when a homemade demo tape he sent to Goner Records caught the ear of Eric Friedl, Oblivian band member and Goner Records' owner. Lindsey heard Friedl and the Oblivians bandmates earlier that year when they returned home to Memphis as the opening act for Rocket from the Crypt. Lindsey became enamored of their sloppy, lo-fi music and created his brand of heavily distorted garage rock. Friedl was impressed by Lindsey's demos and signed him to his label, later commenting, "I loved the racket so we did the record, and I've been a fan of everything he's done since. He's a pretty amazing kid." The Reatards' first European tour came in 1998 when Lindsey was 18. Yet despite Lindsey's enthusiasm for the band, the Lost Sounds bitterly broke up in 2005.

Lindsey was a prolific songwriter, often acting as a member and contributing compositions to two or more bands concurrently. One of Lindsey's first side projects was the Bad Times, a one-off band that included Eric Friedl and King Louie Bankston. The band recorded an album's worth of material after only one practice session in 1998, releasing a self-titled LP in 2001. After one live performance, the band disbanded, the members returning to their respective solo commitments. Shattered Records released records for various lo-fi punk and rock bands, including Kajun SS, Jack Oblivian, Tokyo Electron, The Reatards, Final Solutions, Terror Visions, Angry Angles, Carbonas, Rat Traps, Digital Leather, and the Knaughty Knights.

In 2007, Lindsey put Shattered Records on hold while he promoted his solo records.

By 2005, both the Reatards and the Lost Sounds had broken up, and Lindsey focused his attention on a handful of side projects, working with and releasing material under Terror Visions and Destruction Unit. Though after he began focusing on his solo career in 2006, Lindsey said he has no desire to reform his previous bands. "I'd just feel like I was going backwards if I worked on anything else," Lindsey said.

2006 saw the release of Blood Visions (In the Red), Lindsey's first solo album under the moniker Jay Reatard. After a lengthy tour supporting his solo album, in 2008, he signed a multi-album, exclusive deal with the New York-based indie label Matador Records. Lindsey chose Matador because he felt they were "the only ones keeping any of the promises they'd made along the way." Various major labels like Universal Records, Columbia Records, and Vice Records along with independent Fat Possum wanted to meet with him in the hopes of signing him. He released six limited, 7-inch singles throughout 2008 with Matador. Soon after the release of the first single and write-ups in NME, Spin Magazine, and Rolling Stone, Lindsey began playing larger shows and various music festivals all over the world.

In October 2008, Lindsey's Matador Singles '08 LP compiled all six of the 2008 singles on one LP/CD. Lindsey again hit the road to support the album with a second, extensive 2008 tour. Lindsey's later records sound drastically different from his early punk records. He said writers often misinterpret his newer sound. "I just think it's noisy pop music," Lindsey said.

While he claimed Watch Me Fall was more mellow than his previous works, Lindsey said his live show would remain energetic. "I just want it to be like an assault live, and softer on records," he said.

After the release of Watch Me Fall, Lindsey contributed to a tribute album for New Zealand rock and roll musician Chris Knox, with whom he was to collaborate until Knox suffered a stroke in June 2009. He recorded a cover of the Toy Love song, "Pull Down the Shades". All proceeds from the album will go towards Knox's recovery.

Lindsey's band (that consisted of members of another Memphis band, The Barbaras) quit playing with Lindsey around October 5, 2009, although specific details were not released. He finished the dates he had previously booked with replacement players, the bassist and drummer of the Danish band Cola Freaks (da), with whom he had previously toured.

Lindsey appeared on a Nirvana 'In Utero' tribute limited release record on April 19, 2014, during Record Store Day. Lindsey played "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" and was one of the last recordings before his death.

Death Lindsey was found dead in his home in the Cooper-Young neighborhood of Midtown, Memphis, around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, at the age of 29. A statement was posted on the website of Goner Records that Lindsey had died in his sleep. Friends of Lindsey stated that he had recently complained of flu-like symptoms. An autopsy was performed by the Shelby County medical examiner.

MyFox Memphis reported that police had begun a homicide investigation and were actively looking for a possible suspect. The report was later removed from the TV station's website.

A memorial was held for Lindsey on Saturday, January 16 in Memphis at Memorial Park Funeral Home, attended by family and friends. Musician and friend Eric Friedl, founder of Goner Records, and bandmate Stephen Pope eulogized Lindsey. One of Lindsey's trademark white Gibson Flying V guitars hung behind his coffin at the funeral home; he was buried with the guitar the next day at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Reatard's final single, recorded just days before he died, "You Get No Love/I Am Growing", was released posthumously in March 2011. In a 2009 interview, he made references to several unreleased songs recorded for his final album, Watch Me Fall Additionally, several of his bands released demos, unreleased songs, and alternate versions recorded with him in the years after his death.

A feature-length documentary film titled Better Than Something: Jay Reatard was released in March 2012. The film, made by New York City filmmakers Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz, is an elaboration of their short film Waiting For Something. The film predominantly features footage shot with Lindsey in April 2009, along with never before seen concert and home video footage, and cameos from many of Lindsey's family members and colleagues. Better Than Something: Jay Reatard premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in April 2011. The design is based on a photograph of Lindsey's Gibson Flying V, with the initials 'JR' added to the headstock. All profits from the sale of this T-shirt have benefited St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a Memphis-based charity designated by Lindsey's father.

In 2012, Memphis band The Barbaras (whose members Billy Hayes and Stephen Pope were members of Jay's live band), released their only album 2006-2008, which Reatard helped produce.

In 2014, the French label Teenage Hate Records released a French Tribute to Jay Reatard with 14 French bands. Cheveu, Magnetix, Kap Bambino, Bikini Machine & Didier Wampas, The Liminanas and few more release a cover for the records.

In 2020, the label Retard Records released JAY REATARD - A Canadian Tribute with 11 artists.

Discography

Blood Visions LP/CD (2006; In the Red) Watch Me Fall LP/CD (2009; Matador)

Tributes PUP recorded a cover of the song "My Shadow" and an accompanying live music video in 2014. Roll the Tanks recorded "Goodnight Jimmy Lee", a tribute song, featured on the 2014 album Broke Til Midnight. Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox recorded "He Would Have Laughed", a song about Lindsey, featured on the 2010 album Halcyon Digest. TV Freaks recorded "Song For Jay" a song about Lindsey, featured on the 2015 album Bad Luck Charms. King Khan wrote "So Wild" as a tribute to his friend, and recorded it with King Khan and the Shrines on the 2013 album Idle No More. Hunx and his Punx recorded "Say Goodbye Before You Leave" about Reatard, featured on the 2012 album Hairdresser Blues. Sean Bonnette has covered his work, particularly “Fading All Away”. Though he has played it live, it has also appeared on the AJJ album Rompilation 2.0: The Digitizing, as well as performed by Sean during his livestream series in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unknown Mortal Orchestra performed a cover of the song "My Shadow" live on KEXP in 2013.