JAY & TIINESHA BEGAYE

About the Artist

Jay Begaye, (Dine) is a singer, songwriter, painter, sculptor and a former rodeo contestant. He was born and raised on the Navajo Reservation in the small town of Steamboat Canyon, Arizona.

Jay attended his first pow-wow in Salt Lake City, Utah and that is where he heard the Snake River Singers. This experience left him with an irresistible urge to compose and sing his own songs. From 1982 to 1986, Jay began singing with a noted drum group, the White Eagle Singers and later moved to Canada in 1987. There he formed his own group, the Cathedral Lake Singers. He lived in Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada for the next 16 years. Today Jay makes his home in Ganado, Arizona with his wife Loretta and young son, Sonsiila.

Daughter of famed singer Jay Begaye, Tiinesha sings a blend of Canadian style hand drumming with elements of Diné social singing and presents songs that capture the excitement and energy of native youth today.

Recordings