Howie Kane
Howard G. Kirschenbaum, better known as Howie Kane, was an American pop singer who was a member of Jay and the Americans. He sang vocals for the band between 1960 and 1973, and again from 2006 until his death.
Biography
Jay and the Americans
Born Howard G. Kirschenbaum in 1941, he joined Jay and the Americans in 1960. In 1961, they signed to United Artists, and Kirschenbaum began releasing records under the name Howie Kane. With Jay Traynor as their frontman, they first hit the Billboard charts in 1962 with the tune "She Cried", which reached #5. As the group were starting to gain success around the United States, Kane was still attending college. Traynor left in 1962, and Jay Black came in as the new lead singer. During the 1960s, Jay and the Americans had hit-after-hit including; "Come a [Little Bit Closer]" in 1964, which hit #3, and "Cara Mia" in 1965, which hit #4.Following the Americans split in 1973, Kane continued to perform, as a solo artist. Howie was inducted, as a member of the Americans, into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2006, Jay Black filed for bankruptcy due to gambling debts, and the rights of the name "Jay and the Americans" were sold to Sandy Deanne and his son as a way to pay it off, for $100,000. After the deal was made, Kane and original members Sandy Deanne and Marty Sanders started to perform again as Jay and the Americans with new lead singer Jay Reinke.