Gerard Donald "Jerry" Byrne (February 2, 1941 – April 7, 2010) was an American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

singer from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, best known for his 1958 single "Lights Out". The son of Charles and Mayme Byrne, he was born and raised in the Irish quarter of New Orleans,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, and, like his cousin Mac Rebennack (later known as

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

), became strongly influenced by

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

. He sang with Rebennack's band, the Loafers, who began performing in local bars and nightclubs. On one occasion in 1957, Byrne joined in with his hero Little Richard on stage in

Slidell, Louisiana Slidell is a city on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 28,781 at the 2020 census. It is part of the New Orleans− Metairie− Kenner metropolitan statistical area. Hi ...

, and impressed

Harold Battiste Harold Raymond Battiste Jr. (October 28, 1931 – June 19, 2015) was an American music composer, arranger, performer, and teacher. A native of, and later community leader in, New Orleans, he is best known for his work as an arranger on record ...

, then A&R man at

Specialty Records Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd Pr ...

, who signed him up soon afterwards to record. In February 1958, Byrne recorded the song "Lights Out" – a "blistering rocker" Biography by Jason Ankeny, ''AllMusic.com''
Retrieved 30 September 2015 written by Rebennack with his friend Seth David – at Cosimo Matassa's studio, with a band that included

Edgar Blanchard Edgar Vernon Blanchard (August 17, 1924 – September 16, 1972) was an American R&B guitarist, bandleader and arranger who was prominent in the musical life of New Orleans between the 1940s and 1960s. He was born in Grosse Tête, Louisiana, th ...

(guitar),

Frank Fields Frank Nomer Fields (May 2, 1914 – September 18, 2005) was an American double bass player who was involved in many R&B, rock and roll and jazz recordings made in New Orleans. He was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana. In the 1930s, he played wi ...

(bass),

Art Neville Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans. Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band ...

(piano), and Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums). Harold Battiste played saxophone and produced the session. Tapio Vaisanen, "Jerry Byrne", ''Black Cat Rockabilly''
Retrieved 30 September 2015 Released on the Specialty label, the record became a regional hit but failed to make the national charts. Nevertheless, Specialty released two further singles by Byrne, "You Know I Love You So" and, in 1959, "Carry On", but neither were successful. Byrne also recorded a novelty tribute record to a local TV personality, as "Morgus and the Three Moguls" with Rebennack and

Frankie Ford Frankie Ford (August 4, 1939 – September 28, 2015) was an American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer, best known for his 1959 hit "Sea Cruise". Biography He was born in Gretna, Louisiana, as Vincent Francis Guzzo, across the Mississippi ...

. In 1960, he, Rebennack and Ford joined forces with

Huey "Piano" Smith Huey Pierce Smith, known as Huey "Piano" Smith (born January 26, 1934) is an American rhythm-and-blues pianist whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll. His piano playing incorporated the boogie-woogie styles of Pete Joh ...

, collectively credited for contractual reasons as the Cheerleaders, to record "Chinese Bandits", in support of the local football team. Byrne continued to perform and tour in the region until the mid-1960s, when he gave up his musical career, settled in Morgan City, Louisiana, and started work in the marine supplies business, setting up Byrne Rentals & Sales. In 1987, he was invited to perform in England, and he recorded a new single. "I'm from the South". Byrne died in Morgan City in 2010, aged 69, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

. Death notice, Byrne Rentals & Sales, 2010
Retrieved 30 September 2015 "Lights Out" has been reissued several times, and is included on several rock and roll compilations.
Retrieved 30 September 2015

References

External links

"Dr John, Art Neville & Jerry Byrne create a New Orleans Classic – Lights Out!", ''The Immortal Jukebox''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Jerry 1941 births 2010 deaths American rock singers Singers from New Orleans