Barefoot Jerry

During the 1970s, guitarist Wayne Moss served as Barefoot Jerry’s sole unchanging participant across the band’s releases on Capitol, Warner Bros., and Monument. Before that period Moss had performed with multiple rock and R&B ensembles, then joined Brenda Lee’s touring group in the early 1960s. Nashville session dates soon yielded a contribution to Bob Dylan’s 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, after which he worked with the Escorts through the remainder of the decade and helped assemble Area Code 615 alongside fellow Dylan veterans. The ensemble issued its self-titled debut in 1970 and followed it with A Trip in the Country the next year, yet prior obligations kept the musicians off the road. Their single concert occurred at the Fillmore West in 1970, after which the group dissolved. Moss regrouped in 1971 by launching Barefoot Jerry with Area Code 615 alumni Mac Gayden on vocals and guitar plus drummer Kenny Buttrey, adding keyboardist John Harris to complete the lineup.

The new quartet signed with Capitol and delivered Southern Delight in 1971. By the time the self-titled Warner Bros. album appeared the following year, Russ Hicks and Kenny Malone had taken the places of Gayden and Buttrey. A move to Monument and further personnel shifts—drummer Si Edwards, bassist Dave Doran, and vocalist Fred Newell—marked 1974’s Watchin’ TV, which included a guest spot by Moss’s associate Charlie McCoy. In return, Barefoot Jerry supported McCoy on the country successes “Boogie Woogie” and “Summit Ridge Drive.” After the band finished You Can’t Get Off With Your Shoes On in 1975, Monument combined the earlier Capitol and Warner Bros. material into the double-LP set Grocery.

Moss recruited another roster for 1976’s Keys to the Country, bringing in bassist Terry Bearmore, guitarist Jim Colvard, keyboardist Warren Hartman, and again featuring Charlie McCoy as a guest. The same core players, without McCoy, reconvened for the final album, Barefootin’, issued in 1977. Moss has remained active as a performer and producer, frequently collaborating with McCoy.