Jay Munly
Jayson Thompson, who goes by the stage name Jay Munly or Munly, is an American singer, songwriter and musician based in Denver, Colorado. He is known for his role in the development of the Denver Sound, which is music that mixes elements of country, gothic, folk and gospel native to that city. He is a member of Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Munly and the Lupercalians, and The Denver Broncos UK (DBUK). He was a founding member of Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots, active from 2000 to 2007. He was also a member of The Road Home in 2015. Early life Munly was born to Ohio natives Bruce A. Thompson and Geraldine Ann Manley. His father was an exploration geologist and the founder of Skull Creek Oil. He describes his childhood as being raised in a "stereotypical Catholic" upper-middle class household. He spent parts of his childhood in Quebec, Canada, Colorado, and Ohio. His family had summer retreats in Ellsworth, Ohio. He also played ice hockey. Munly's interest in music began in childhood, while he was recovering from an ice hockey injury. He also had some familial ties: his father and grandfather owned and played banjos, and his father also made a dulcimer for his mother as a gift, although she did not play it. While recuperating from said injury, Munly taught himself how to play his father's 19th century-era banjo, which was technically off-limits to handle, although his mother knew what was going on. She eventually bought him a guitar which he taught himself to play as well. He played both instruments in the same fashion and only played his own songs. When he was older, presumably in his 20s, he moved to Boulder, Colorado before eventually moving to Denver. In a 2009 interview, he said that he identifies more with being an American from Denver than with being a Canadian from Quebec. Prior to becoming a musician, it has been rumored that Munly worked as a summer camp counselor and as a record store clerk. According to an interview with good friend Andrew Murphy of Smooch Records, he may have worked at "Albums on the Hill" in Boulder, Colorado, since that is where Murphy and Munly first met and where Munly helped him get a job. In the late 1990s, he attended Columbia University in Manhattan, New York, where he earned a Master's degree in Modern English Literature. Solo career Munly started out his music career in the 1990s. He had toured with The Reejers before releasing his first album. He also shared a 7-inch vinyl album with Roger Manning, though the song featured on the record is unknown. However, he does appear on a 1998 cassette by Joe Folk & the Soho Valley Boys, a Manning side-project, titled "Chyeah". He performed a spoken-word piece on Side 2, Track 11: "Bohemia Blues/ Poetic Hwy Vision #63/ Starry Eyed Blues". He has worked with several musicians that are featured on his albums, such as John Ellison of The Reejers