1980s

In 1982,^[2] Lane played with Dave Shul in the band Ice Age.^[3] In 1983, he joined Bay Area ska punk band The Uptones when their saxophonist left, prompting drummer Dave Ellis to switch instruments.^[1][3] They released an album, K.U.S.A.,^[2] before Lane left in 1985 to join the Freaky Executives.^[3] After four years of gigging the Executives landed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records.^[3] It was during this time that Lane met Primus bassist Les Claypool in the bands' shared warehouse rehearsal space in Emeryville and would converse in the hallways, eventually jamming together. Claypool, Lane, and guitarist Todd Huth played together as Primus for about eight months, and recorded a demo cassette tape named Sausage.^[3][4] at Fungo Mungo's modified storage container rehearsal space, mixed by Matt Winegar.

1990s

After a 4 year dry spell, In 1994 Les Claypool called Lane for a recording session at San Francisco's famed Hyde St Studios that Grammy winning upright bass virtuoso Rob Wasserman had hired him for. It was to be acoustic bass, electric bass and drums recording one quick jam for a Levi's 501 jeans ad. After neither bassist wanted to, Lane added the vocal speaking part.^[5][2] After the session Wasserman asked Lane if he would do a session at Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir's home studio for a broadway musical Weir was working on with avant guard saxophonist David Murray about legendary baseball player Satchel Paige. They were looking for a drummer that could play quietly with brushes. Lane then joined the Weir Wasserman Duo with double bass player Wasserman and Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir.^[3] Lane was reunited with Cazadero Music Camp friend Dave Ellis when he joined jazz combo the Charlie Hunter Trio,^[3][4] and co-founded the hip hop/jazz fusion group Alphabet Soup.^[3][4] The Charlie Hunter Trio released their debut album, Charlie Hunter Trio, in 1993.^[6] Lane Wasserman and Claypool also then later performed a song at the Bammies as 3 Guys Names Shmoe.

Lane later reunited with Claypool and Huth as the band Sausage,^[4] named in recognition of the Primus demo they recorded together six years prior.^[7] They recorded a single album, 1994's Riddles Are Abound Tonight,^[8] followed by a short tour in support of Helmet and Rollins Band.^[3][4] In 1995, Lane released his last album with the Charlie Hunter Trio, Bing, Bing, Bing!,^[9] as well as Alphabet Soup's debut, Layin' Low in the Cut,^[10] and following the death of Jerry Garcia, the trio of Lane, Weir and Wasserman became the basis for the band RatDog.^[3] In 1996, Alphabet Soup released their second album, Strivin',^[3] and Lane guested on Claypool's debut solo album Highball with the Devil.^[11] In 1997, Lane guested on Christión's debut album, Ghetto Cyrano, playing keyboards.^[12]

2000s

Throughout the 2000s, Lane continued to tour with RatDog, playing hometown shows with Alphabet Soup whenever they had a break in the schedule.^[3] In 2000, RatDog released their own debut album, Evening Moods,^[13] followed by Live at Roseland in 2001.^[14] Also in 2001, Lane appeared once more alongside Claypool and Huth, plus others, on the Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade albums Live Frogs Set 1^[15] and Live Frogs Set 2,^[2] the latter of which is a complete performance of Pink Floyd's Animals.^[16] In 2002, Lane guested on the Frog Brigade's studio album, Purple Onion,^[17] and was named "drummer of the year" by the California Music Awards.^[3]

In 2005, Claypool released his retrospective DVD 5 Gallons of Diesel, featuring many projects that included Lane,^[2] and Lane toured with him as part of his Fancy Band.^[3] In 2006, many members of Alphabet Soup branched out to form the hip hop/reggae fusion group Band of Brotherz, and Lane joined shortly after.^[3] They released their debut album Deadbeats and Murderous Melodys in 2009,^[2] featuring covers of Grateful Dead songs,^[1] supported by a tour of the East Coast of the United States and a number of dates nationwide with special guests,^[3] including the trio of Lane, Weir and Wasserman reunited under the name Scaring the Children.^[18] At the end of 2009, Weir put RatDog on hiatus in order to dedicate his time to forming the band Furthur with Phil Lesh, and Lane joined them as a charter member.^[3]

2010s

In 2010,^[2] Lane left both Furthur and Band of Brotherz to rejoin Primus with Claypool and long-standing guitarist Larry LaLonde, and they released the free June 2010 Rehearsal digital EP, followed in 2011 by a new album, titled Green Naugahyde.^[19] As of 2012, Lane's official site still credited him as an active member of RatDog despite the hiatus,^[2] as well as Alphabet Soup,^[2] and Scaring the Children.^[5] In September 2013, it was revealed that Lane had left Primus to rejoin RatDog, who were ending their hiatus.^[20] In 2014 Jay Joined The Golden Gate Wingmen. They are a jam band formed in November 2014, featuring Jeff Chimenti, John Kadlecik from Dark Star Orchestra & Reed Mathis from Tea Leaf Green. They record every show and release them to download.

In 2018, Lane joined Weir and bassist Don Was to form Wolf Bros, a trio which undertook a North American tour in the Fall of 2018,^[21] and continued with a second tour of twenty more shows in the Spring of 2019.^[22]

Lane currently endorses Ludwig drums, Sabian cymbals, and Innovative Percussion drumsticks.

2020s

Lane joined Dead & Company as a stand-in drummer for their October 19 and 20, 2021 shows at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO, their October 22 and 23 shows at Fiddler's Green in Greenwood Village, CO, and their October 31 show at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. For the Dead & Company 2022 Summer Tour, he sat in for Bill Kreutzmann starting with the Bethel, NY show.^[23] With Kreutzmann stepping out for the final Dead & Company tour in 2023, Jay Lane has played each show on the tour.^[24]