Graydon made his singing debut on his second birthday on the "Joe Graydon Show," the first music/talk television show in Los Angeles, hosted by his father,
Joe Graydon. During and for a brief time after his college days, Graydon played in the
Don Ellis Band, whose style can be described as experimental post-bop jazz. He can be heard on the live double album
Don Ellis at Fillmore and the studio albums
The New Don Ellis Band Goes Underground,
Connection and
Soaring.
L. A. session musician From the late 1960s to late 1970s Graydon was a
session musician in Los Angeles, working with such artists as
Gino Vannelli,
Barbra Streisand,
Dolly Parton,
Diana Ross,
The Jackson Five,
Alice Cooper,
Cheap Trick,
Al Jarreau,
Christopher Cross,
Ray Charles,
Cher,
Joe Cocker,
Marvin Gaye,
Hall & Oates,
Wayne Shorter,
Olivia Newton-John,
Albert King and
Steely Dan. One of Graydon's most notable session performances is his guitar solo on Steely Dan's 1977 hit single "
Peg". In 1977 he appeared as a character in a number of
Doonesbury strips as Jay "Wah-Wah" Graydon. Graydon played on the Jimmy Thudpucker album "Greatest Hits" along with Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn. He was the subject of the track "Fretman Sam" and played its guitar solo. He also programmed the synthesizers for the album.
Producer Jay Graydon's production credits include work with
Airplay,
Air Supply,
George Benson,
Al Jarreau,
DeBarge,
El DeBarge,
Sheena Easton,
Art Garfunkel,
The Manhattan Transfer,
Johnny Mathis,
Patti LaBelle,
Lou Rawls,
Dionne Warwick,
Alan Sorrenti and the album ''
They Don't Make Them Like They Used To'' by
Kenny Rogers. He started his own record label, Sonic Thrust Records, in 2001 to give himself creative and artistic freedom in his songwriting and producing profession. The label features straight-ahead jazz, adult contemporary pop, AAA, AOR, classic R&B, smooth jazz, and genuine retro surf from the 1960s. As a musician and recording engineer, he has often been a consultant and beta tester for new musical equipment and recording gear.
Songwriter Graydon has written over 200 songs. His catalog includes the Grammy winners "
Turn Your Love Around" (co-written with
Steve Lukather and
Bill Champlin) as performed by
George Benson and "
After the Love Has Gone" (co-written with
David Foster and
Bill Champlin) as performed by
Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as "Who's Holding Donna Now" (
DeBarge), "Friends in Love" (
Dionne Warwick and
Johnny Mathis), many songs written with and for Al Jarreau (including "
Mornin'", "Breakin' Away", "High Crime", "After All", and "Roof Garden"), and several hits with
Manhattan Transfer including "Twilight Zone", "On The Boulevard", "Smile Again" and "Spies in the Night". Many of his songs were co-written with David Foster.
Writer and educator Graydon has written numerous articles in music magazines, and has conducted seminars at
Musician's Institute in Hollywood with guitarist
Tommy Tedesco for more than 15 years. He has been working on a series of books on recording techniques with
Craig Anderton, a widely published and bestselling authority on recording technology. The books will discuss the subtleties of recording various instruments, as well as mixing.
Film scores Graydon has participated as a musician and/or songwriter in over 50 film scores including
The French Connection,
Grease,
Ghostbusters, ''
St. Elmo's Fire, The Secret of My Success, Navy Seals, Lady Sings the Blues, The Greatest, Ghost Dad,
Mahogany, and
Thank God It's Friday.''
Television Graydon has played on or written songs for
The Andy Williams Show,
The Jackson 5 Show,
The Alan Thicke Show,
The David Steinberg Show,
The Ed Sullivan Show,
The Tonight Show,
The Merv Griffin Show,
The Soupy Sales Show,
The Smothers Brothers Show,
The Midnight Special,
The First Rock and Roll Awards Show,
Miami Vice, and
Starsky and Hutch. With
Richard Page, he also wrote the second theme song for
Gimme a Break!, which was used from its third through sixth seasons. == Key collaborations ==