Jerry Byrd
| Jerry Byrd | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gerald Lester Byrd |
| Born |
March 9, 1920 Lima, Ohio, United States |
| Origin | Nashville |
| Died |
April 11, 2005 (aged 85) Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Genres | Country, honky tonk, Hawaiian music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Lap steel guitar |
| Years active | 1935–2005 |
| Associated acts | Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Red Foley, many others |
| Notable instruments | |
| Lap Steel Guitar. | |
Gerald Lester Byrd, known as Jerry Byrd (March 9, 1920 – April 11, 2005), was an American musician who played the lap steel guitar in country and Hawaiian music, as well as a singer-songwriter and the head of a music publishing firm, he appeared on numerous radio programs.
Career
Byrd was born in Lima, Ohio, one of five siblings, his interest in the instrument began after a "tent show" when he was 12 and by 15 he was playing in bars. Although his initial interest was Hawaiian music much of his work was country. In 1944/1945 he joined the Grand Ole Opry.[1] He was important to the early career of Dolly Parton being one of the first to sign her. He also was an educator of the steel guitar giving lessons to Jimmie Vaughan and Jerry Garcia among others. The list of artists that Byrd played or recorded with included Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline and Red Foley and countless others. With Hank Williams he played songs like I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Lovesick Blues and Mansion on the Hill.[2] In the early 1970s he moved to Hawaii and worked on reviving Hawaiian steel guitar music, taking a great delight in giving lap steel lessons to the young musicians who showed interest in ensuring that the lap steel remained an important instrument in Hawaiian music. While living in Hawaii, Byrd had a regular weekly gig with his trio at the Royal Hawiian Hotel that lasted until his death. Though Byrd often joked about pedal steel guitar players, he had nothing but the highest of praise for Buddy Emmons, saying he had taken the steel guitar to new places with his playing.
Personal life and death
He published his autobiography "It Was a Trip: On The Wings of Music". Byrd died of Parkinson's disease at 85 in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he had resided for 30 years, he was survived by wife Kaleo Wood and 2 Daughters.[3]
Awards and recognition
He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1978 as # 1 and he's Rickenbacker lap steel is housed at the Country Music Hall of Fame[4]
Discography
Studio albums
- Nani Hawaii (1953) Mercury
- Byrd's Exhibition (1954) Mercury
- Guitar Magic (1954) Mercury
- Hi-Fi Guitar (1958) Decca
- On the Shores of Waikiki (1960) Decca
- Byrd of Paradise (1961) Monument
- Memories of Maria (1962) Monument
- Satin Strings of Steel Monument
- Blue Hawaiian Steel Guitar (1963) Mercury
- Man of Steel (1964) Mercury
- Potpourri (1966) Monument
- Burning Sands, Pearly Shells, & Steel Guitars (1967) Monument
- Country Steel Guitar Greats (1966) Wing
- Steel Guitar Hawaiian Style (1976) Lehua
- Polynesian Suite (1995) Sony Music Distribution
- Christmas in Hawaii (2003) Lehua
Compilations
- Jerry Byrd: By Request (2002) Mountain Apple
- Steel Guitar (2002) Mountain Apple
- The Master of Touch and Tone (2005) Mountain Apple
- Master of the Steel Guitar, Vol. 1 (2005) Hana Ola—Rsi
As sideman
With Jack McDuff
- Gin and Orange (Cadet, 1969)
With Don Patterson
- Satisfaction! (Prestige, 1965)
Additional reading
- Byrd, Jerry (2003). It Was a Trip, On Wings of Music. Centerstream Publications. ISBN 978-1-57424-131-0.