Jim and Edith Young
Sidney, late 1950s - early 1960s
July, 1956 picture
Jim and Edith Young started performing together around 1947, the year they were married. In 1956, they started a recording business, JAY (or Jay) records, named for Jim's initials.
This writeup from April 1956 suggests they were submitting songs to other labels. There is no known recording of the song by them or anyone else on the Arco label, most likely the one from Wilkes-Barre,Pennsylvania
The duo's first recording was in late 1956, recording an early song name checking the new teenage music "Crazy, Tormenting, Rock and Roll" While the recording is not very crazy or tormented, it's a nice bit of country rockabilly. The duo are backed by the Pleasant Valley Trio, who were Sam Ammons, Walter Wilson, and Marilyn Rickett. They used their own JED publishing for the music.
The Youngs and the Pleasant Valley Trio also had their own radio show on WPTW in Piqua. They were also playing shows around the area.
In 1957 the Youngs went pretty deep into their Jay recording business. They released 5 45s, 4 by them, and one by Marilyn Rickett. They made a move to the song-poem business in late 1957 with "I Don't Need You Any More", credited to "Smokey" Joe Aleshevich, who was from New York City, and Kenny Marlow, likely a friend of Joe. The flip side "We've Got To Do" was credited to Edwin Dobbs, who may have been from Sidney. Over the next couple years they released 45s by the Pell Brothers, who were a country music duo from New York City. Smokey Aleshevich contributed more songs and a producer credit on one of the Pell Bros records. Another Jay label artist, Lee Slaugher(s) and the Cumberland Play Boys, were from Kentucky. Both the Pells and Slaughters appeared to have recorded songs by song-poem submitters, and then likely had some backing from the Youngs to release them.
May, 1957 story, probably related to the "I'll Be Lonesome When You're Gone" 45
August 1957
There was one more 45 by Jim and Edith, from 1960. They are perfoming songs by other writers, "Just To Be With You" and "Please Send Me A Picture", most likely a song-poem deal. The label issued one more 45 in 1966. There are also supposed to be recordings on a couple offshoot labels, Jeff (or Jeffrey) and Dan (or Danny), both names of Young's children.
March, 1958 writeup
During the time that Jay was operating, the Youngs ran a radio-TV business in Sidney, where the record operation (and some recording) was done. The business moved at least once during the 1956-1962 time frame.
March, 1960 fan club story
Jim Young passed away in 1991, Edith in 2017
April, 1962 ad. Donnie Brolin and Joe Gutman were local artists who recorded for JAY.
Discography:
Crazy, Tormenting, Rock And Roll / Tears In My Eyes Over You - Jay 101, Dec 1956
I'll Be Lonesome When You're Gone / Hill BIlly Moon -Jay 357, 1957
Jesus Saves / Wait And Pray - Jaye 457, 1957 (label name misprint of Jaye)
God's Wonderland / Christ Died For Sinners - Jay 557, 1957
I Don't Need You Any More / We've Got To Do - Jay 11-15-57, 1957
Just To Be With You / Please Send Me A Picture - Jay 45, Jan 1960