Draft:Jason Mershon

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  • Comment: "in popular culture" has no citations. Why does "online dating" have an external link? Please wikilink it instead, since it leads to a wikipedia article. Several potentially controversial claims are not sourced, like "The newspaper remained a successful business for twenty-five years, however, with the advent of the internet and proliferation of video and online dating services in the 1990’s, the National Singles Register published its last issue in 1996." ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 12:38, 17 October 2024 (UTC)


Jason Mershon
Jason Mershon in 2016
Born
Jay Jeffrey Mershon

(1951-02-24) February 24, 1951 (age 74)
Chicago, Illinois
Other namesLegs Hunter, JJ Breeze
Years active1969 - present

Jason Mershon is an American entrepreneur and entertainer whose career has included work as a newspaper editor and publisher, nightclub promoter, and producer of beauty pageants and rock and roll concerts in the 1970s and 1980s. He worked as a singer and songwriter, writing the book, music, and lyrics for the musical comedy Heaven Rocks (later re-titled Rock and Roll Heaven - The Musical Comedy), which he produced and directed from the 1990s through the early 2000s.[1][2][3]

Early life

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Mershon was born Jay Jeffery Mershon in 1951 in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to Los Angeles at age five and graduated from Lakewood High School in California in 1968. In 1969, after relocating to Las Vegas, he adopted the first name "Jason," and enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he studied law, journalism, and political science. After receiving a high draft lottery number in 1970 that exempted him from military service during the Vietnam War, he left UNLV to pursue a career in entertainment.[4]

Career

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Singles News Register

In 1971, Mershon began writing an entertainment column and selling advertising for the Las Vegas Star Magazine. During this period, he also performed with local musicians and entered talent contests. He was invited to join a re-formed version of the 1960s band The Box Tops, assembled by the management company that owned the group's rights, and first performed under the music stage name of "JJ Breeze."[4][5][6]

In the early 1970s, Mershon became the founding editor of the Singles News Register, a California-based newspaper that featured personal ads, dating advice, and event listings, at a time before online matchmaking.[2][7] The paper was among the first to focus exclusively on classified personal ads for dating.[8][9] It was rebranded in 1975 as the National Singles Register and continued publication into the late 1980s.[4]

Through his company Steppin' Out Productions, founded in the late 1970s, Mershon worked as a nightclub promoter and pageant producer.[10][11] He organized the "Miss Legs America Pageant" which toured major nightclubs during the early 1980s, including The Limelight in Atlanta, Tramps Disco in Washington DC, Paul Anka’s Jubilation Disco in Las Vegas, Gazzarri’s in Hollywood, and Zelda’s Nightclub in Palm Springs.[12][13] Using the stage name "Legs Hunter," Mershon also emceed the events.[2][14]

In January 1984, a pageant in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, was covered in national media when contestants protested the non-delivery of prizes, and Mershon was briefly arrested.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] The charges were dropped when it was confirmed to be a delay in the mail.[14][22][23] Later that year, Mershon produced a documentary titled "Legs Across America" chronicling the pageant tour and the related publicity.[24]

In the early 1990s, Mershon recorded the album Memories of a Legs Man under his music stage name JJ Breeze.[24] During this period, he also produced concerts featuring music artists such as Eric Burdon, Foghat, Robbie Krieger, and The Marshall Tucker Band.[11][10][25]

In 1994, Mershon wrote, produced, and directed the musical comedy Heaven Rocks, which portrayed deceased rock legends interacting with historical and biblical figures in Heaven.[26][5] The show premiered in Palm Springs and was later retitled Rock and Roll Heaven: The Musical Comedy.[27][28][29][30][31] The soundtrack album, Heaven Rocks: A Wild Night in Rock and Roll Heaven, was released in 2002 and the show won "Musical of the Year" and "Best Original Soundtrack" at the 16th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards in 2006.[32][33][2]

Other ventures

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Mershon owned and operated Jason’s Nightclub and Harbor Nights Restaurant in San Diego, California, beginning in 1997.[34][2][5] He continued to perform as JJ Breeze alongside many musical artists through the early 2000s.[35] His final appearance as JJ Breeze was in 2003 at Sycuan Casino in San Diego with the Classic Rock All-Stars.[36] The Classic Rock All-Stars included Peter Rivera from Rare Earth, Jerry Corbetta from Sugarloaf, Mike Pinera from Blues Image and Iron Butterfly and Spencer Davis from The Spencer Davis Group.

In the 2000s, Mershon also played poker professionally.[37] He wrote the song "Playin’ Poker for a Livin’" which was noted in online poker publications in 2010.[38][39][40][41]

Legacy

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Mershon's career in publishing, music, and entertainment has been the subject of a biographical series, A Baby Boomer’s Last Stand: A True Story of a Novel Life from Truman to Trump, by author Jon Alexander Young. The multi-volume work chronicles his life from 1951 to 2019, and reflects on the changes and cultural shifts during that time.[1][4][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Young, Jon Alexander (2022). A Baby Boomer's Last Stand: The Prologue. Las Vegas, Nevada: Empire Publishing (published July 15, 2022). ISBN 979-8-8403-7405-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e Sanderson, Darcy (November 4, 2010). "Parody-Okee Something New for Musical Renaissance Man". Desert Star Weekly. Palm Springs, California. pp. 11, 16 – via Newsbank.com.
  3. ^ Sokoloff, Phil. "Rock and Roll Heaven: The Musical Comedy". On Stage 411. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  4. ^ a b c d Young, Jon Alexander (2024). A Baby Boomer's Last Stand - Volume One: The First Stand (2nd ed.). Las Vegas, Nevada: Empire Publishing (published June 5, 2024). ISBN 979-8-6983-5356-0.
  5. ^ a b c "Just Sing the Hits - When Bands (Barely) Reunite | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  6. ^ Vineberg, Andy. "Name's the same, but the band isn't". PhillyBurbs. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  7. ^ Lynch, Larry (1972-07-22). "'Singles Register' A Publication with an Eligible Appeal". Independent Press-Telegram. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  8. ^ Cameron, Catherine; Oskamp, Stuart; Sparks, William (1977). "Courtship American Style: Newspaper Ads". The Family Coordinator. 26 (1): 27–30. doi:10.2307/581857. ISSN 0014-7214. JSTOR 581857.
  9. ^ Christian, Susan (September 30, 1988). "Man Who Likes to 'Get People Together' Starts New Paper". Los Angeles Times. pp. 5 (Orange County Life section). Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "'Steppin' Out' Set to Open NightClub". Palm Desert Post. 1991-03-20. p. 42. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  11. ^ a b "More Desert Concerts Planned, Gershwin Promotor Gearing Up". Palm Desert Post. 1989-09-27. p. 36. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  12. ^ Herron, Stacy (1983-08-30). "Miss Legs Contestants Draw Nightclub Crowd". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  13. ^ Ortuno, Denise (May 30, 2018). "Zelda's Nightclub to be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Venue". Coachella Valley Weekly. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Moran, Edward (1984-01-18). "He Really Didn't Pull Their Legs". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  15. ^ "'Miss Legs' Pageant Mixup Sparks 'Lynch Mob' Scene (AP)". Intelligencer Journal. 1984-01-10. p. 28. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  16. ^ "Angry Beauties No Prizes Delivered; Promoter Surrounded (AP)". The Pensacola News. 1984-01-10. p. 16. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  17. ^ Moran, Edward (1984-01-09). "A Losing Gam-bit, Promoter Charged with Defrauding Winners of 'Legs' Contest". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  18. ^ Moran, Edward (1984-01-09). "A Losing Gam-bit (continued from pg. 4)". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  19. ^ "Day in Jail Saves Promoter from 'Miss Legs' Hopefuls (AP)". The Evening Sun. 1984-01-09. p. 26. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  20. ^ Sapatkin, Don (1984-01-09). "'Miss Legs' Promoter Finds Himself Out on a Limb". The Morning News. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  21. ^ Sapatkin, Don (1984-01-09). "'Legs' Promoter Finds Himself Out on a Limb (continued from pg. 1)". The Morning News. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  22. ^ Heine, Kurt (1984-01-10). "'Mr. Legs': Late Mail Had Me Out on a Limb". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  23. ^ Sapatkin, Don (1984-01-12). "Finishing Kick Mars Contest". The Morning News. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  24. ^ a b c Young, Jon Alexander (2021). A Baby Boomer's Last Stand - Volume Two: The Second Stand. Las Vegas, Nevada: Empire Publishing (published March 14, 2021). ISBN 979-8721-65716-0.
  25. ^ Fessier, Bruce (1991-05-15). "Post-Concert Birthday Bash Celebrates Preservation of Ex-Animal". The Desert Sun. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  26. ^ Stoudt, Charlotte (2006-06-30). "More Soul, Please, at 'Heaven' Confab". The Los Angeles Times. p. 80. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  27. ^ Glaser, Blair (April 8, 1996). "UPDATE: Los Angeles Theatre News". Playbill. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  28. ^ "Heaven to Rock n Roll at Riverside Carlos O'Brien's". The Perris Progress. 1996-04-10. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  29. ^ "Rock and Roll Heaven". The Los Angeles Times. 2006-07-13. p. 255. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  30. ^ "OC Live!". The Los Angeles Times. 1996-04-25. p. 178. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  31. ^ Kragen, Pam (2001-06-29). ""Heaven Rocks" is Clever, But Needs Fine-Tuning". North County Times. p. 91. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  32. ^ Madden, Bill. "Los Angeles Music Awards 2006 Winners". Yumpu. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  33. ^ "Al Bowman History – Producers Choice Honors". Producers Choice Honors. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  34. ^ Mendoza, Bart (1999-12-30). "Tribute Pays - Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Making a Living for Some Bands". San Diego Union-Tribune. pp. Night & Day - 4 – via Newsbank.com.
  35. ^ Jay Allen, Sanford (2007-10-21). "Just Sing the Hits - When Bands (Barely) Reunite". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  36. ^ Navidad, Philippe (December 2003). "Old Farts Don't Fizzle" (PDF). San Diego Troubadour. p. 12. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  37. ^ "Jason Mershon's Biography: Hendon Mob Database". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  38. ^ "Singing Poker Pro Jason Mershon To Share Half His WSOP Winnings". OnlinePoker.net. February 8, 2010. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
  39. ^ Price, Sadonna (2010-02-16). "Poker Player/Songwriter offering WSOP Cash to Song Downloaders". 4 Flush. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  40. ^ Chaivarlis, Elaine (2010-02-17). "The Nightly Turbo: Hollywood Multi-Accounting, Jayde Nicole on the Strip, and Who Is The NAPT Hostess?". Poker News. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  41. ^ Calculli, Claudio (2010-02-10). "J.J. Breeze – Playin poker for living: Una canzone per entrare al Main Event WSOP". Italia Poker Club (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-08-31.
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