Jerry Byrd

Famed guitarist Jerry Byrd entered the world on March 9, 1920, in Lima, Ohio. Hawaiian music captivated him during childhood, yet his earliest performing opportunities came through country broadcasts on a local radio outlet spanning 1935 to 1937. A period at Cincinnati’s WLW preceded his 1941 arrival at the Renfro Valley Barn Dance; the following year he moved to WJR in Detroit and stayed until joining Ernie Lee’s Pleasant Valley Boys in 1944.

He stayed with Lee through 1946, at which point he assembled the Jay-Bird Trio. In 1948 he entered Red Foley’s ensemble and established himself as a regular session player for King Records. That same year he released his debut singles—“Mountain Mambo” and, credited as Jerry Robin, “Sun Shadows”—followed later by the 78 “Steelin’ the Blues.” While under contract at King he also cut several Hawaiian numbers, a style that gradually claimed his main attention.

Even so, he continued contributing to the country scene. In 1950 he became a fixture on Foley’s NBC television show, and between 1954 and 1956 he appeared on the Nashville program Home Folks. An eight-year run on Country Junction came next, and in 1964 he joined Bobby Lord’s television band. Byrd exited country music permanently in 1968, relocating to Hawaii to devote himself solely to the islands’ traditional sounds.