Jay Nazz

About

Drummer known for being a longtime member of the Americana and Red Dirt band Reckless Kelly along with his work on fan favorite songs such as "Seven Nights in Eire," "Wicked Twisted Road," "Ragged As the Road," "Nobody's Girl," "Crazy Eddie's Last Hurrah," "Radio," and "Passin' Through" and albums such as Wicked Twisted Road and Bulletproof. 

Before fame

He began playing drums when he was 13 years old. He attended college on the East Coast and temporarily stepped away from drumming though he kept his drum kit with him. He met the early Reckless Kelly group while on a road trip from Rhode Island to Bend, Oregon, when he walked into a bar on open-mic night, noticed the band didn't have a drummer, sat in for several songs, and was invited to join afterwards. His encounter led to him relocating with the band and becoming part of its founding lineup in 1996. He and Reckless Kelly officially released their first studio album Millican in 1998. His and Reckless Kelly's major breakthrough came with the release of their 2003 album Under the Table & Above the Sun. 

Trivia

He is left-handed which is a detail that became part of band lore after he rearranged an entire drum kit on the spot to suit his left-handedness during his open-mic audition in Oregon.

Family life

His full name is Jay Nazziola. He father was his first musical collaborator. 

Associated with

He has performed alongside Willy Braun and Cody Braun as fellow members of Reckless Kelly.