Jad Fair
Fair (born June 9, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, graphic artist, and founding member of lo-fi alternative rock group Half Japanese.
Also recorded as Jadwin B. Fair · Jadwin Fair
Jad Fair

JeanParis · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Jad Fair
- Born
- 9 June 1954
- Birthplace
- Coldwater, Michigan, United States
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- guitarist · singer · composer · singer-songwriter
- Fields
- rock · alternative rock
- Languages
- English
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Fair (born June 9, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, graphic artist, and founding member of lo-fi alternative rock group Half Japanese.
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wikidata · Q248981 · wikipedia · Jad Fair
In this article
Biography
Biography
Fair worked across guitarist, singer, composer and singer-songwriter. The registers place that work in rock music and alternative rock. This article rests on 100 catalogued compositions, 14 published texts, 70 issued recordings, 1 digitised documents and 21 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

American rock singer and guitarist Jad Fair (Half Japanese) in Japan
Masao Nakagami
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jad Fair • Born — 9 June 1954 • Birthplace — Coldwater, Michigan, United States • Genre — Indie rock, punk rock, experimental rock • Instrument — Vocals, guitar, drums • Years Active — 1974–present • Label — 50 Skidillion Watts, Joyful Noise, Iridescence, Paperhouse, Alternative Tentacles, Thick Syrup, Fire • Website — www.jadfair.org
Biography
Biography
Fair was born in Coldwater, Michigan. In 1974, he and his brother David formed the lo-fi group Half Japanese. Since then, Half Japanese has released nearly 30 records. Besides Half Japanese, Fair performs and records as a solo artist, and collaborates with artists such as Terry Adams, Kramer, Norman Blake, Kevin Blechdom, Isobel Campbell, Eugene Chadbourne, DQE, Steve Fisk, Fred Frith, God Is My Co-Pilot, Richard Hell, Daniel Johnston, J. Mascis, Jason Willett, Monster Party, Weird Paul Petroskey, R. Stevie Moore, Thurston Moore, The Pastels, Phono-Comb, Steve Shelley, Strobe Talbot, Teenage Fanclub, The Tinklers, Moe Tucker, Bill Wells, Jason Willett, Adult Rodeo, Lumberob, Yo La Tengo, and John Zorn. In 1982, Fair released his first solo work, the single "The Zombies of Mora-Tau" followed by the full-length album Everyone Knew... But Me one year later. Besides his musical career Fair is also active as a visual artist, drawings, as well as papercuttings. He took up papercutting to alleviate boredom while touring on the road. Many of the album covers are made by Fair. Four books of Fair's art have been published. Exhibitions of Fair's paper cuts and drawings have taken place in New York, Tokyo, Glasgow, Austin, Paris, London, Houston, The Hague at the State-X New Forms festival, and in Nantes at Le Lieu Unique together with Daniel Johnston. It's Spooky is a 1989 collaboration album by Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair. Strange but True is a collaborative album between the band Yo La Tengo and Jad Fair. It was released by Matador Records in 1998. Song titles on the album were taken from outrageous newspaper headlines. In 2002, Fair recorded an album with R. Stevie Moore, titled FairMoore, described as "a lovely, heartfelt effort that shows both in top form" by Dave Mandl, who stated that it "brings together two fiercely original figures in the American music underground", the album consisting of Fair reciting his poetry over Moore's instrumental backing. Words Of Wisdom And Hope is a collaboration between Glasgow, Scotland's Teenage Fanclub, and Fair, released in 2002. In 2008, experimental instrument builder Yuri Landman constructed for Fair a special two-string instrument called the Bachelor QS. In 2011, Half Japanese reunited as a live band and toured through Europe. In 2011, Thick Syrup Records released the compilation album 78 LTD. This album features the track "36 Perfect Ways I Ching of Love" Fair made with Ken Stringfellow (Posies, R.E.M.). In 2012, Fair contributed to the Landman album That's Right Go Cats with a 22-minute vocal contribution on side A of the record. The Nantes-based venue Le Lieu Unique organised a large exhibition of graphical work made by Fair and Daniel Johnston in April 2012. In the same month Fair released a lost album called Songs from a Haunted House with Gilles Reider on Interbang Records. In 2012, Jad Fair released a collaboration with French experimentalist trio Hifiklub and German guitarist/producer kptmichigan on Joyful Noise Recordings. The band was originally assembled to provide the audio component to Jad Fair's art exhibition at Le Dojo – Nice in France, 2011.
Albums
Albums
• Everyone Knew... But Me (Press, 1981) • Monarchs (Iridescence, 1984) • Best Wishes (Iridescence, 1987) • Great Expectations (Bad Alchemy, 1989) • I Like It When You Smile (Paperhouse, 1992) • Short Songs (Smells Like Records, 1993) • Greater Expectations (Psycho Acoustic Sounds/TEC. Tones, 1995) • Sunshiney Sunshine (download) • His Name Itself Is Music (Fire, 2011)
Compilation albums
Compilation albums
• Mr. Snail's Halloween Party (Snail Sounds, 2005) • Beautiful Songs (The Best Of Jad Fair) (3 CDs) (Fire, 2011)
EPs
EPs
• The Zombies of Mora-Tau (Press, 1982)
Singles
Singles
• "Good Day" – (Arts & Crafts Series Vol. 1, 2004) • "Three Cycles" (France, 2005) • "Samantha" (Third Uncles Records, 2009)
With David Fair
With David Fair
• Jad and David Fair – Best Friends (UK Vesuvius, 1996) • Jad and David Fair – 26 Monster Songs for Children (Kill Rock Stars, 1998) • Jad and David Fair – Six Dozen Cookies (2006) • David and Jad Fair – Halloween Songs (Thick Syrup Records, 2008) • David and Jad Fair – I'll Be Moe (Thick Syrup Records, 2009) • David and Jad Fair – Shake Cackle and Squall (Joyful Noise Recordings, 2016)
With Daniel Johnston
With Daniel Johnston
• Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston – It's Spooky (50 Skidillion Watts, 1989) • The Lucky Sperms – Somewhat Humorous (Jagjaguwar, 2001)
Albums
Albums
• Jad Fair and Kramer – Roll Out the Barrel (1988, Shimmy-Disc) • Jad Fair and Kramer – The Sound of Music (An Unfinished Symphony in 12 Parts) (1998, Shimmy-Disc) • Jad Fair and Kramer – The History of Crying, Revisited (2021, Shimmy-Disc)
In Mosquito
In Mosquito
• Mosquito – Oh No Not Another Mosquito My House Is Full of Them! (Psycho Acoustic Sounds, 1993) • Mosquito – Time Was (ERL/Smells Like Records, 1993) • Mosquito – UFO Catcher (Japan. Time Bomb, 1993) • Mosquito – Cupid's Fist (Hol. Red Note, 1994)
Albums
Albums
• Jad and Nao – Half Robot (Paperhouse, 1993) • Jad and Nao – Half Alien (Sakura Wrechords Japan, 1997) • Jad and Nao – Half Monster (Misc. Music, 2008)
EPs
EPs
• Jad Fair and The Pastels – This Could Be the Night EP (Paperhouse, 1991) • Jad Fair and The Pastels – No. 2 EP (Paperhouse, 1992)
With The Shapir-O Rama
With The Shapir-O Rama
• We Are the Rage – Jad Fair & The Shapir-O'Rama (1996) • I Like Your Face – Jad Fair & Shapir-O'Rama (1999)
Albums
Albums
• Teenage Fanclub and Jad Fair – Words Of Wisdom And Hope (Domino, 2002)
Singles
Singles
• Teenage Fanclub and Jad Fair – "Near To You" (Geographic, 2002) • Teenage Fanclub and Jad Fair – "Always in My Heart" (Alternative Tentacles, 2002) • Teenage Fanclub and Jad Fair – "Like a Monkey in a Zoo" (Pema, 2006)
Albums
Albums
• Jason Willett/Jad Fair/Gilles Rieder (Megaphone Limited) (1992) • Jason Willett & Jad Fair – It's All Good (Megaphone Limited) (1995) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – Honeybee (Dr Jim's) (1996) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – The Mighty Super-Heroes (Marginal Talent) (1997) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – Wonderful World (Shrimper) triple cassette (1997) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – Twister (Dark Beloved Cloud) lp (1997) • Jason Willett & Jad Fair – We're Going to the Moon (Megaphone Limited) cd (1998) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – Wild (Megaphone Limited) cd (1998) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – The Mighty Hypnotic Eye (Dr Jim's) cd (1999) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – Enjoyable songs (Alternative Tentacles) lp & cd (1999) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – The Attack of Everything paperback + cd (2002) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – Superfine (Public Eyesore) cd (2005) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – The Greatest Power (Dymaxion Groove) (2015)
Singles
Singles
• Jad Fair & Jason Willett – "Punk Rock" (Chlorophyl, 1996) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – "The Corpse is Missing" (Slab-O-Concrete, 1996) • Jad Fair & Jason Willett – "Jackpot - Songs And Art" (Vesuvius/Slab-O-Concrete, 1997)
With Yo La Tengo
With Yo La Tengo
• 1998: Yo La Tengo – Strange but True (an album based on the unusual stories taken from the Strange but True column of newspapers)
With Phono-Comb
With Phono-Comb
• In A Haunted House 7" (Derivative Records, 1995) • Monsters, Lullabies...and the Occasional Flying Saucer CD (Shake the Record, 1996)
Other projects
Other projects
• Between Meals – Oh No I Just Knocked Over a Cup of Coffee (Iridescence, 1983) • Coo Coo Rocking Time – Coo Coo Party Time (50 Skidillion Watts, 1990) • The Making of the Album, 1991, Seminal Twang – TWANG 02 CD Maxi Single w/ Daniel Johnston, Gilles Reider & Tom Recchion • Workdogs in Hell – Workdogs in Hell (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1993) • Strobe Talbot – 20 Pop Songs (Alternative Tentacles, 2001) • Jad Fair and R. Stevie Moore – FairMoore (Old Gold, 2002) • Jad Fair & Bill Wells – Whale EP (Friends And Relatives Records,?) • Jad Fair And Daisy Cooper – South Pole (Lathe, 8", Ltd, Shape, Cle), People in a Position To Know, 2007 • Human Adult Band / Jad Fair – Samantha (7", Spl) 2009, Third Uncle Records • Coo Coo Rocking Time – Seven Ways To Sunday (Thick Syrup Records Box Set, 2010) • Coo Coo Rocking Time – Coo Coo Party Time – Remastered Louder (Thick Syrup Records, 2011) • Yuri Landman Ensemble feat. Jad Fair & Philippe Petit – That's Right Go Cats, 2012, (CD Thick Syrup Records, LP Siluh Records) • Monster Party: Jad Fair, Gilles-Vincent Rieder – Songs from A Haunted House CD/LP (Interbang Records, 2012) • Whistling Joy Jumpers: Jad Fair, Thollem McDonas, & Brian Chase – Surprising Wooden Clocks (Thick Syrup Records, 2013) • Jad Fair & Strobe Talbot, Let's Born to Rock, Joyful Noise Recordings, 2014 • Jad Fair & Danielson, Solid Gold Heart, Sounds Familyre, 2014 • Jad Fair & R. Stevie Moore, The Great American Songbook, Vol. 1, Joyful Noise Recordings, 2014 • Jad Fair, Tenniscoats, & Norman Blake, How Many Glasgow, Sweet Dreams Press, 2014 • Jad Fair & Norman Blake, Yes, Joyful Noise Recordings, 2015
Compilations
Compilations
• Jad Fair / Tom Recchion / Ant Farm – Slowscan Vol. 4 (Cass, Comp, Ltd, C60), 1986 Slowscan • I Said No Doctors! (2017, Dymaxion Groove)
Life and work
Life and work
Jad Fair was born on 9 June 1954 in Ann Arbor. Fair held the nationality of United States. Fair worked as guitarist, singer, composer and singer-songwriter. Fair was active from 1976. The fields Fair worked in include rock music and alternative rock. Fair played the guitar and the voice. Fair worked in English.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1954–2015
The full dated record · 6 entries
1954
Born at Ann Arbor.
1997
Jad Fair & Jason Willett Live at Lounge Ax on 1997-10-07 (1997) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2001
Jad Fair & Rob Erickson (from Adult Rodeo) Live at Schubas Tavern on 2001-04-12 (2001) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2007
Jad Fair & Lumberob Live at Schubas Tavern 2007-05-31 (2007) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2014
Jad Fair & Danielson Live at Schubas Tavern 2014-09-08 (2014) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2015
Shakemore (2015) Jad Fair photo by LWolf 0224 (2015) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
Catalogued output
Compositions
The entries below are works composed by the subject, as the institutional registers catalogue them; later performances and commercial recordings of the same music are listed separately. 100 further compositions are catalogued under Fair's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it. A selection is set out below and the complete run may be opened beneath it. National Sports Association Hires Retired English Professor to Name New Wrestling Holds. Is That You? I Only Have Eyes for You. Love Is Here. I Met Roky Erickson. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. High School Shop Class Constructs Bicycle Built for 26. First Day at Work. Dedicated Thespian Has Teeth Pulled to Play Newborn Baby in High School Play. My Life Is Starting Over. She Starts Fire.
The entries follow MusicBrainz
Car Gears Stick in Reverse, Daring Driver Crosses Town Backwards
Helpful Monkey Wallpapers Entire Home
Fun and Games
Clever Chemist Makes Chewing Gum from Soap
Love's Taken Over
Minnesota Man Claims Monkey Bowled Perfect Game
Embarrassed Teen Accidentally Uses Valuable Rare Postage Stamp
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Nevada Man Invents Piano with 21 Extra Keys
Hands of Love
Love & Comfort
The complete catalogue · 56
The entries follow MusicBrainz
Car Gears Stick in Reverse, Daring Driver Crosses Town Backwards
Helpful Monkey Wallpapers Entire Home
Fun and Games
Clever Chemist Makes Chewing Gum from Soap
Love's Taken Over
Minnesota Man Claims Monkey Bowled Perfect Game
Embarrassed Teen Accidentally Uses Valuable Rare Postage Stamp
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Nevada Man Invents Piano with 21 Extra Keys
Hands of Love
Love & Comfort
Clumsy Grandmother Serves Delicious Dessert by Mistake #2
Ingenious Scientist Invents Car of the Future
Rock Me Tonight
Fly Me to the Moon
McDonalds on the Brain
I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby
Near to You
Always in My Heart
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Music of the Horn
Ac‐cent‐tchu‐ate the Positive
Ohio Town Saved From Killer Bees by Hungry Vampire Bats
Retired Grocer Constructs Tiny Mount Rushmore Entirely of Cheese
Gee, Baby Ain’t I Good to You
Some Things Last a Long Time
Retired Woman Starts New Career in Monkey Fashions
Back on Track
Get Yourself Together
I Feel Fine
Bourbon Street Parade
Cow at the Sacrifice
Clumsy Grandmother Serves Delicious Dessert by Mistake #1
If I’d Only Known
Around and Around
Love Will Conquer
All the While
I’ve Got the World on a String
Power of Your Tenderness
Principal Punishes Students with Bad Impressions and Tired Jokes
Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
Lulu’s Back in Town
Get Me to the Church on Time
I Did Acid With Caroline
A Vow of Love
Behold the Miracle
Feisty Millionaire Fills Potholes with Hundred‐Dollar Bills
Circus Strongman Runs for PTA President
A New Year
Chords of Fame
Loony Take Me Home
Kicking the Dog
Shocking Fashion Statement Terrorizes Town
Crush on You
Basin Street Blues
Catalogued output
Writings on music
These are catalogued publications carrying the name — editions and printings, distinct from the works they contain and from writing about the subject. The 2000s are the densest part of the run, with 11 titles, and that concentration is a fact about what the registers have catalogued rather than a judgement on the work itself.
14 editions carry dates between 1997 and 2010
The run opens with Jackpot, Songs and Art and closes with Celebrate the Celebration
The entries follow Open Library
Jackpot, Songs and Art
1997
The Attack of Everything
2002
Love Birds
2009
Jump for Joy
2009
Moods of Elvis
2009
Earthlings of the Planet Earth Beware
2009
Umbrellas
2009
Monsters, Pro and Con
2009
Happy Halloween
2009
Primary material
Recordings and discography
The discography assembled here shows how Fair's work has been published in sound, not what Fair made. 67 sound issues are catalogued, carrying dates from 1980 to 2024. An issue is a published recording, distinct from the composition it carries, from a printed score of that composition and from any single performance of it; none of the entries below is counted in the catalogue of compositions above, and several of them carry the same work in different readings. The 1990s are the densest decade of publication, with 21 issues. The performers and issuing labels are as the discographic register states them; where it names no performer the article names none.
Short Songs
1993
Sunshiney Sunshine
2004
Monster Songs for Children
1998
Monsters, Lullabies.. And the Occasional Flying Saucer
1996
Live at SXSW 2007
2017
The History of Crying
2017
1998-11-20: The Crocodile, Seattle, WA, USA. Enjoyable Songs
1999
This Could Be The Night
1992
Mighty Hypnotic Eye
2016
The Sound of Music: An Unfinished Symphony in 12 Parts
1999
Celebration
2023
Best Friends
1996
Words of Wisdom and Hope
2002
Strange but True
1998
The Zombies of Mora-Tau
1980
I'll Tell You What
2015
Yes
2015
Enjoy Your Life
2011
We Are The Rage
1996
Six Dozen Cookies
2006
Best Wishes
1985
South Pole
2007
I Like It When You Smile
1992
Solid Gold Heart
2014
Greater Expectations
1991
DQE and Jad Fair
1996
2005-04-27: Phoning It In, "Jad Fair (Half Japanese)"
Jad Fair & The Pastels N°2
1992
Destroy All Monsters
2023
Superfine
2003
It’s Spooky
1989
FairMoore
2002
Half Robot
1992
I Like Your Face
1999
The Great American Songbook Vol
It's All Good
1995
Honey Bee
2016
Somewhat Humorous
2001
Songs From a Haunted House
2012
Happy Fun Songs
2013
His Name Itself Is Music
2011
Bird House
2011
Monarchs
1997
Raindrops
2017
The Making of the Album
1991
In A Haunted House
1995
Half Monster
2008
Like a Monkey in a Zoo
2006
Let's Born to Rock!
2014
Shake, Cackle and Squall
2016
Half Alien
1997
Don't Give Up
2016
Whale
2004
Everyone Knew..But Me
1983
Film Music
2024
How Many Glasgow
2014
Happy Hearts
2023
Great Expectations
1989
Roll Out the Barrel
1988
The Greatest Power
2015
Holdings and surviving copies
Where the work is held
Holdings and surviving copies
Where material relating to Jad Fair is held.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Jad Fair”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q248981: Jad Fair
Unverified · Wikidata
Authority records
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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