Jay Parrack was brought up in the West of Surrey or “The Deep South” to those who live North of Watford! She had a number of musical influences in her formative years, the most significant  her parents; her Dad played boogie piano and her Mum is a professionally trained singer.  Her earliest memory of live music is falling asleep on her Dad’s knee at one of her Mum’s gigs!

In her teens Jay started to write songs and play guitar and piano and was often seen at music clubs doing solo spots with her guitar ... in those days her repertoire was the popular folk and other contemporary music of the time.

As she left childhood and headed for the big bad world, Jay also left music for a few years and gave herself time to become a wife and a Mum. However, throughout this time, she stored up passions and feelings and life experience which gave her a lot to write about when she came back to music a few years later. Most of her writing then was done in the evenings when her children were asleep. Nowadays, between family, teaching and staffing Singers Camps in the summer, she still finds time to write, record and perform. Amazing!

Jay is now an accomplished singer/songwriter and is well known in the Three Counties Corner and beyond. Jay's powerfully emotive singing and writing styles have their far reaching roots in French cafe music, Latin, blues, folk, trad jazz and more contemporary styles. Her own songs defy the music industry's pigeon-holing and their easy conversational treatment of love and life has caught the attention of audiences around the region.

She currently plays with and fronts several bands, “Random Assortment”, “The Rosa Band” and, until fairly recently, was half of a very successful Duo with Andy Johnson but Jay is probably best known as a solo artist. She also runs a community choir, “Voices” in Farnham and devotes some of her time to playing music with those who have learning disabilities in the local area.

“Local girl Jay is the complete entertainer - superb voice and instrumentalist and her trademark outfits can bowl you over! Whether performing solo or accompanied by other talented musicians, an evening with Jay is one not to be missed.” The Windmill, Ewshot

‘Insistent’ isn’t a word I use that often, my Collins Dictionary gives one of its meanings as “demanding notice or attention; compelling” and that fits Jay Parrack pretty well I think.  She was one of many tonight to step onto the U&I stage for the first time and she did so with great success.  One of the things that struck me was that despite it being a ‘standing room only’ night, she didn’t attack the guitar or the vocal to get the crowds attention.  She didn’t need to.  What we got were her songs as you felt she always played them, as though she was saying ‘this is how the song is supposed to be played, feel free to listen to it’.  They were songs that got the crowds attention ‘just because’.  Jay has a jazz background and this seemed appropriate as her style and sound conjured images of smoky clubs, pianists in crumpled suits and the requisite chanteuse.  She comfortably held the crowd for the duration of her set and hopefully she will find some more time for U&I in the future.  

Unplugged and Intimate,  Bracknell

On occasions the multi-talented Parrack family has been known to all perform together, that is - Jay (of course), Jay's husband, Simon, who sings and plays tenor sax and her daughters, Laura and Mikaela  who both sing. Waterson and Carthy, The Black Family, Clannad and The Carter Family had better watch out!!