The Life and Legacy of Hairstylist Jay Sebring Before the Manson Murders
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 2 September 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories Jay Sebring was Hollywood’s most sought-after men’s hairstylist. At his Fairfax Avenue salon, Frank Sinatra came for a trim, Jim Morrison’s iconic look was shaped, and Bruce Lee trusted his image to the man behind the chair. Sebring turned men’s hair into fashion, helping launch a global industry. He was on the brink of an even bigger future when the Manson Family murders ended his life in the summer of 1969. His nephew, Anthony DiMaria, has spent years bringing Sebring’s story back into focus. He co-authored Jay Sebring: Cutting to the Truth with Marshall Terrill, and today, shares how Sebring rose to the top of Los Angeles style — and why his legacy is more than the crime that ended it.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:14.3 | This is Lee Habib, and this is our American stories. |
| 0:18.9 | In the glitch and glamour of 1960s Hollywood, Jay Sebring began what is now a |
| 0:24.9 | hundred billion dollar a year industry, the men's hair care industry. Most people think of |
| 0:31.0 | hair care as something just for women. Sebring's revolutionary techniques and signature |
| 0:37.1 | charm drew male legends like Frank Sinatra, |
| 0:41.1 | Steve McQueen, and Paul Newman to his chair, the glamorous of the glamorous. Yet his |
| 0:48.1 | extraordinary legacy was overshadowed by the horrifying Manson family murders. Here to tell the story is Jay Sebring's nephew, Anthony DeMaria. |
| 0:58.7 | He, along with Marshall Terrell, co-author Jay Sebring, Cutting to the Truth. |
| 1:03.9 | He's also the producer of the documentary by the same name. |
| 1:07.1 | Jay is an actor who's appeared on shows like Deadwood, The Sopranos, and CSI. |
| 1:12.5 | Let's take a listen. |
| 1:15.3 | Well, first, Greg, thanks for having me. |
| 1:17.4 | You do a great job. |
| 1:18.6 | I'm a big fan of your podcast. |
| 1:20.4 | And so my name's Anthony D. Maria. |
| 1:22.4 | I'm Jay C. Brings' nephew. |
| 1:23.9 | I was very young. |
| 1:25.6 | When Jay was killed in my parents, We lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
| 1:29.3 | And Jay would visit us from time to time because he actually did Jack and Trotter's |
| 1:34.3 | hair, the head of entertainment at the Sands Hotel, and also did the entire Rat Pack's hair, |
| 1:40.3 | with the exception of Dean Martin. |
... |
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