04/22/2026
A personal note from Deno:
I’m not sure how to put a friendship that lasted decades into words, but yesterday I lost my longtime friend Jay Burkhardt.
When we started Emerald City at Club Memphis in 1983, there were a few guys who were part of the band from the get go but never played a note, Jay was one of them.
While he was bartending and I was singing, Jay and I would make eye contact all the time. It was always that look that said, “You’re kicking ass, and we’re digging it.” I’ll never forget that.
Jay was a great guy, loved people, had a great vibe, and always dug what we were doing. When I look back at my career, I can’t do it without seeing Jay being there every step of the way. I can still hear him saying “LIOLI” (the last 5 letters of my last name)
It was a crazy time, more fun than I can describe and those memories helped make Emerald City what it is today.
Love you, Jay. You will always be in my heart and a part of the band, forever!!
