Jay Valle

Jay Valle has spent over 60 years in our industry as a player, educator, concert artist and sales manager. Starting out as a young accordionist, Jay performed all through school with bands. In those days, the accordion was the keyboard instrument that players could transport easily. The early years also included teaching students to play the accordion and piano. Jay easily moved on to become a pianist playing in countless lounges and engagements on the road.

In the sixties Jay moved on to the organ and played a number of years with top groups touring from Las Vegas to New York and so many gigs in between.

Jay graduated from Wayne State University with a music teaching degree. Surprisingly his major instrument was saxophone. Jay then taught public school for a couple of years before finally getting into organ sales. It was the era of home organs and home organ sales were incredibly successful. Jay went on to become the sales trainer and marketing manager for the largest music store chain in America, Grinnells.

Jay’s next step was to produce his sales and marketing programs in audio visual. He sold his courses to a number of organ companies such as Hammond, Thomas, Kawai and more. When he offered his program to the Galanti family, GEM at that time, they offered him a position and he went to work for the Galanti’s in 1980 as national sales manager, staying until 2000 when he took a position as national sales manager with Hammond Suzuki.

In 2011, Jay considered retiring from sales and continuing as a performer, but was asked by the Galanti family again to join Viscount as sales director for Galileo pianos. This position evolved into becoming US sales director for the successful avenue of Legend organs, of which today stand out as being the preferred line of drawbar organ products with top players and churches world wide.

Jay is grateful for the many years in the music industry, and especially the Galanti family, that provided not only success, but the joy of music.