| Jay Noel Yuenger | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jay Noel Yuenger |
| Also known as | J. |
| Born | December 26, 1966 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Alternative metal, Groove metal, Hardcore punk, |
| Occupations | Guitarist, Record producer, Recording engineer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Associated acts | White Zombie Rights of the Accused Ruined Eye |
Jay Noel Yuenger (born December 26, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois), also known simply as "J.", is a rock guitarist best known for his work with the Grammy nominated groove metal/alternative metal band White Zombie.
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Through his mother, a classical soprano and voice teacher, Yuenger was exposed to music early, playing piano and singing in children's choirs. Growing up in the diverse Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's south side (home to the University of Chicago), Yuenger was exposed to soul, jazz, folk, and the electric blues and attended Kenwood Academy. His father, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, was posted as bureau chief in several cities and Yuenger lived in Washington DC, Moscow, and London before he was 12 years old.
As a teenager, Yuenger's interests quickly progressed from pop to hard rock to hardcore punk. He began learning guitar and played a small part in the early 1980s Chicago hardcore scene, forming the teen punk band Rights of the Accused in 1982. They released the 7" EP, Innocence, in 1983 and opened for several noteworthy groups including Minor Threat, MDC, the Big Boys, Flipper, and Discharge. Yuenger left the band in 1985, attended college, and by 1987 had moved to New York City. After several failed attempts at forming groups in New York and New Jersey, he met the members of White Zombie in early 1989 and auditioned successfully to join the group as their guitar player. The band released the previously recorded Make Them Die Slowly on Caroline Records, toured the US and Europe, and recorded the God of Thunder 12" EP (also issued on Caroline). In 1990, the group signed to Geffen Records and recorded their major label debut, La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1, which eventually went on to sell over 2 million copies. During the next five years the band was almost constantly on tour, pausing only to record the triple platinum-selling Astro-Creep: 2000. They also contributed songs to various movie soundtracks and compilation albums and ended up selling over 6 million records worldwide. Since the official disbandment of White Zombie in 1997, Yuenger has lived in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York and has worked as a recording engineer and record producer. In 2004, he recorded King Louie Bankston's King Louie One Man Band LP entitled Chinese Crawfish, which was released on Goner Records. He currently lives in New Orleans .
Throughout his career with White Zombie, Yuenger used various guitars and amplifiers.
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