Jerald Edward Kolbrak (September 23, 1939 – May 28, 2008), known professionally as Jerry Cole, was an American guitarist who recorded under his own name, under various budget album

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

s and as an uncredited

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

Biography

Raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, Cole first entered the pop music scene as one of

The Champs The Champs are an American rock band, most famous for their Latin-tinged rock and roll instrumental " Tequila". The group took their name from that of Gene Autry's horse, Champion, and was formed by studio executives at Autry's Challenge Rec ...

along with

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

. Campbell and Cole formed the Gee Cee's after they left the Champs and released one single called "Buzzsaw Twist". Cole increased his income and recordings by playing for various

budget albums Budget albums (also known as unofficially by some collectors as either drugstore records or junk records) were low-priced vinyl LPs of popular and classical music released during the 1950s to 1970s consisting either of previously released material ...

with a variety of credits. In an interview with ''Psychotronic Video'' issue #31, Cole explained his dealings with Crown Records. Crown would request five surf albums, five country and western albums and five easy listening albums. Cole would write nine different songs for each album to back one

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of a hit of the time, organize a band, arrange and record the music for master tapes that he would deliver to Crown in about three weeks time; doing an album or two in a day. Impressed by his playing as a session musician,

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

recommended him to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

where he led an instrumental surf guitar group called "Jerry Cole and his Spacemen". Capitol tried Cole as a vocalist but found his voice wasn't strong enough. Among his records for Capitol as a vocalist was the original version of "Midnight Mary" (spelled as "Midnite Mary" on the record), a top 10 hit for Joey Powers. Throughout the 1960s, Cole was a highly sought-after session player, working with

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...

(" Mr. Tambourine Man" / " I Knew I'd Want You"),

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

These Boots Are Made for Walkin' "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart. Su ...

"),

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

('' Pet Sounds'' LP) and Paul Revere & the Raiders (" Kicks") among others. He recorded as one of " The Wrecking Crew" and as a writer, arranger and conductor for numerous pop groups and performers and performed on many American television shows of the time. He led the pit bands of the teenage music shows ''

Hullabaloo Hubbabaloo or hullaballoo may refer to: * Hullabaloo (band), a punk band * Hullabaloo (song), a 1990 single by Absent Friends * Hullabaloo (festival), a music festival at the University of California San Diego * ''Hullabaloo'' (film), a 1940 fil ...

'' and '' Shindig!''. His bandleader abilities were also tapped by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country and pop hits " King of the Road", " Dang Me", and "Eng ...

, and

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

and he was a first-call guitarist on TV show bands for

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

, The Smothers Brothers,

Laugh In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Dan ...

, and

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

. Cole pulled together some L.A. session colleagues and cut his own psychedelic album: ''The Inner Sounds of the Id'' by 'The Id', recorded between 1965 and 1966 according to drummer Don Dexter. The musicians were: Jerry Cole (lead guitar, lead vocals, sitar), Don Dexter (drums, backing vocals), Glenn Cass (bass, backing vocals) and his brother Norman Cass (rhythm guitar, backing vocals). A massive collection of tracks were pared down to ten tracks and those ten tracks were released by RCA in January 1967. ''The Animated Egg's'' self-titled album was released on the Alshire label in 1967 under the auspices of producer-manager Paul Arnold, who reportedly absconded with the unreleased ''Id'' material. However, shortly before his death, Cole determined that the ''Animated Egg'' tracks were probably recorded at a different session, and may have involved different musicians working with Cole. Either way, the ''Id'' and ''Animated Egg'' tapes were both subsequently recycled by Arnold for a series of releases including the 101 Strings' orchestral-overdubbed ''Astro-Sounds From Beyond the Year 2000''. Cashing in on

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

's untimely death, many of the same tracks were also given new titles and released as a tribute album credited to The Black Diamonds.''The Animated Egg – Guitar Freakout'' liner notes, Mike Vernon. Sundazed CD (2008) On October 15, 2006, Cole performed, as a lead guitarist, with his friend Dick Burns, of the original Dartells, as a "New Dartell" in the KVEN "Boomer Blast" oldies concert at the Oxnard Performing Arts Plaza, though he was not included in the then still uncompleted album ''Mo' Pastrami'', which did include Freddy Cannon, Donny Brooks and Jewel Akens. Jerry Cole started

Happy Tiger Records Happy Tiger Records was an independent American record label that was owned by the Flying Tiger Line air freight company. Happy Tiger operated from 1969 to 1971. During this time the label produced more than two dozen albums by Count Basie, Mason ...

with producer-manager Ray Ruff in 1969. As one of Ruff's acts – a post-

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

line-up of

Them Them or THEM, a third-person plural accusative personal pronoun, may refer to: Books * ''Them'' (novel), 3rd volume (1969) in American Joyce Carol Oates' ''Wonderland Quartet'' * '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'', 2003 non-fiction by Wels ...

– had just broken up, Cole joined the band for their self-titled 1970 hard rock album for the label, credited as lead vocalist, guitarist and drummer alongside uncredited musicians

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, a ...

, Johnny Stark,

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spe ...

and

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

. Cole teamed up with

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician. He is best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a ...

again in 1972 for McGuinn's debut solo record, while session work with Roger Miller, Chuck Howard and Susie Allanson sent him in a country-rock direction. The list of names Cole worked with as guitarist, vocalist, writer, arranger, producer, or bandleader includes:

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Lo ...

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled a ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, Tony Orlando & Dawn,

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman ...

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960 ...

Blood Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura ...

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from liv ...

, and

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songw ...

. Cole died of a heart attack at his

Corona, California Corona ( Spanish for "Crown") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. The cities of Norco and Riverside lie to the north and no ...

, home at the age of 68.

Discography

Pseudonymous albums recorded for Crown Records: *Billy Boyd - ''"Twangy Guitars"'' LP (Crown CST-196), 1960 **Don & Eddie - ''"Rock and Roll Party"'' (Modern MST-814, - same as the 'Billy Boyd' LP above), 1961 **The Electric Underground - ''"Guitar Explosion"'' (Premier PS-9060, - same as the 'Billy Boyd' LP above, with different mix and 2 fewer tracks), 1967 *The Hot Rodders - ''"Big Hot Rod"'' LP (Crown CST-378), 1963 *The Scramblers - ''"Cycle Psychos"'' LP (Crown CST-384), 1963 *Jerry Kole and the Strokers - ''"Hot Rod Alley"'' LP (Crown CST-385), 1963 *The Blasters - ''"Sounds of the Drags"'' LP (Crown CST-392), 1963 *The Deuce Coupes - ''"The Shut Downs"'' LP (Crown CST-393), 1963 *The Winners - ''"Checkered Flag"'' LP (Crown CST-394), 1963 *Johnny Rivers and Jerry Cole - ''"Johnny Rivers and Jerry Cole"'' LP (Crown CLP-5475), 1964 *The Stingers - ''"Guitars a Go Go"'' LP (Crown CST-476), 1964 *Jerry Cole and the Country Boys - ''"Crazy Arms and Other Country & Western Instrumental Favorites"'' LP (Crown CST-518), 1964? *Jerry Cole & The Stingers - ''"Guitars a Go-Go Vol. 2"'' LP (Crown CST-553), 1966 **Jerry Cole - ''"Hot Rod Twangin' - The 1960s Crown Recordings"'' ( Ace Records CD), 2006 Albums recorded for

(1963–64): *Jerry Cole and His Spacemen - ''"Surf Age"'' *Jerry Cole and His Spacemen - ''"Hot Rod Dance Party"'' *Jerry Cole and His Spacemen - ''"Outer Limits"'' **Jerry Cole and His Spacemen - ''"Power Surf! The Best of Jerry Cole & His Spacemen"'' (Sundazed CD), 1999 Other pseudonymous recordings attributed to Jerry Cole: *Billy Baker - ''"Country Guitar"'' (Viking, UK) *The Super Stocks - ''"Thunder Road"'' *Mike Adams & The Red Jackets - ''"Surfers Beat"'' *Eddy Wayne - ''"The Ping Pong Sounds of Guitars in Percussion"'' *The Knights - ''"Hot Rod High"'' *Billy J. Tyler *The Palomino Boys *The Id - ''"The Inner Sounds of the Id"'' (RCA Victor LSP 3805), 1967 *The Animated Egg - ''"The Animated Egg"'' (Alshire 5104), 1967 Recordings from the Id & Animated Egg album sessions were repackaged/remixed many times, including: **The Projection Company - ''"Give Me Some Lovin'"'' (Custom CS-1113), 1967 **T. Swift & The Electric Bag - ''"Are You Experienced?"'' (Custom CS-1115), 1968 **The Generation Gap - ''"Up Up and Away"'' (Custom CS-1121) **The Stone Canyon Rock Group - ''"MacArthur Park"'' (Custom CS-1124), 1968 **Various Artists - ''"Young Sound '68"'' (Somerset SF-31500), 1968 **The Haircuts & The Impossibles - ''"Call It Soul!"'' (Somerset SF-33400), 1969 **101 Strings - ''"Astro-Sounds From Beyond the Year 2000"'' (Alshire 5119), 1969 **The Black Diamonds - ''"A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix"'' (Alshire 5220), 1971 **Bebe Bardon & 101 Strings - ''"The "Exotic" Sounds of Love"'' (Alshire 201), 1972 **The Animated Egg - ''"Guitar Freakout"'' (Sundazed CD reissue, adding out-takes which were unique to the cash-in releases), 2008 *The Mustang - ''"Organ Freakout!"'' (Somerset SF-28600), 1968 (apparently The Id backing keyboardist Paul "The Mustang" Griffin) *

- ''"Them"'' ( Happy Tiger), 1970 ( Fallout Records CD issue, 2008)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Jerry American rock guitarists American male guitarists American session musicians The Beach Boys backing band members The Wrecking Crew (music) members Capitol Records artists Crown Records artists Custom Records artists Musicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin People from Corona, California Guitarists from California Guitarists from Wisconsin 1939 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American musicians Guitarists from Chicago 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians