Born and raised in Orange County, CA, Jay began playing at around age 10 after being shown a few chords on his brother's Fender Telecaster. From that point on, he was hooked. Jay got an axe of his own and started playing along with his favorite records. Before long, Jay was rocking in a variety of local bands. Along the way, Jay has been influenced by a multitude of guitarists such as Larry Carlton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton.

While earning his doctorate degree in Chicago, Jay developed a love and appreciation of blues guitar and was privileged to witness Stevie Ray Vaughan's final performance there.