Jack Lee (March 25, 1952 – May 26, 2023) was an American songwriter and musician best known for composing the songs "Hanging on the Telephone", covered by the new wave band Blondie, "Come Back and Stay", covered by the singer Paul Young, and "You Are My Lover", recorded by Suzi Quatro.

Early life

Born in Alaska in 1952, Lee left home at age 15 for Santa Monica, California, before relocating to San Francisco at age 19. There, he busked in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood, where he met fellow street musician Peter Case.

Career

Alongside Case and Paul Collins, Lee formed the seminal, yet short-lived power pop trio the Nerves in 1974. The band self-released one self-titled EP in 1976, which included "Hanging on the Telephone". After relocating to Los Angeles in 1977, the Nerves broke up in 1978. Lee only recorded two solo albums after the Nerves: 1981's Jack Lee's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, through his own Maiden America label, and a self-titled album in 1985 on the French label Lolita Records. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Blondie, Paul Young, and Suzi Quatro. Subsequently, Lee more or less disappeared from the music scene, although he kept performing from time to time with his band Jack Lee Inferno. A proposed album never materialized, but in 2016, Lee's two out-of-print albums from the 1980s were reissued by Alive Naturalsound Records on the compilation Bigger Than Life. Lee continued to write songs and work on his music in private until his death from colon cancer in Santa Monica, California on May 26, 2023, at the age of 71.

Discography

The Nerves

Solo

Songs recorded by other artists (partial list)