Gerald Lester Byrd (March 9, 1920 – April 11, 2005) was an American musician who played the

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional a ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

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 Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, United States, 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 The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a div ...

. He was important to the early career of

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...

being one of the first to sign her. He also was an educator of the steel guitar giving lessons to

Jimmie Vaughan Jimmie Vaughan (born March 20, 1951) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas. He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant ...

and

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

among others. The list of artists that Byrd played or recorded with included

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

and Red Foley and countless others. With Hank Williams he played songs such as "

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song has been covered by a wide range of musicians. Authorship and production Various writers quoted Williams a ...

", " Lovesick Blues" and " A Mansion on the Hill." In the early 1970s, he moved to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

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 Hawaiian 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 Buddy Gene Emmons (January 27, 1937 – July 21, 2015) was an American musician who is widely regarded as the world's foremost pedal steel guitarist of his day. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981. Affectionately known by ...

, 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 Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...

at 85 in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, where he had resided for 30 years; he was survived by wife Kaleo Wood and two daughters.

Awards and recognition

He was inducted into the

Steel Guitar Hall of Fame The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame is an organization established in the United States in 1978 to recognize achievement in the art of playing the steel guitar. The organization's stated purpose is: In 1984, the organization was incorporated as a nonprofi ...

in 1978 as its first member; his Rickenbacker lap steel is housed at the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has ama ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Nani Hawaii'' (1953) Mercury *''Byrd's Exhibition'' (1954) Mercury *''Guitar Magic'' (1954) Mercury *''Steel Guitar Favorites'' (1958) Mercury *''Hi-Fi Guitar'' (1958)

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

*''On the Shores of Waikiki'' (1960)

*''Byrd of Paradise'' (1961)

Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

*''Memories of Maria'' (1962)

*''Blue Hawaiian Steel Guitar'' (1963) Mercury *''Man of Steel'' (1964) Mercury *''Satin Strings of Steel'' (1965)

*''Potpourri'' (1966)

*''Burning Sands, Pearly Shells, & Steel Guitars (1967)

*''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

Other players on Hank's recordings include Dale "Smokey" Lohman (Early recordings), also Don Davis played one or two sessions with Hank. From 1950 on it was Don Helms." With

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...

*'' Gin and Orange'' (Cadet, 1969) With Don Patterson *''

Satisfaction! ''Satisfaction!'' is an album by organist Don Patterson recorded in 1965 and released on the Prestige label.AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrd, Jerry 1920 births 2005 deaths Steel guitarists Neurological disease deaths in Hawaii Deaths from Parkinson's disease People from Lima, Ohio American country singer-songwriters Monument Records artists Decca Records artists Mercury Records artists 20th-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from Ohio Guitarists from Hawaii Guitarists from Ohio American male guitarists Country musicians from Ohio Country musicians from Hawaii 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Hawaii