Biography
Gerald Lester Byrd, 9 March 1920, Lima, Ohio, USA, d. 11 April 2005, Honolulu, Hawaii. One of country music’s greatest steel guitarists, Byrd first appeared on local radio in 1935. During the late 30s, he was featured on WLW Cincinnati’sMid-Western Hayride and theRenfro Valley Barn Dance. In 1945, after a spell in Detroit, he moved to Nashville and worked on the Grand Ole Opry, where he played with both Ernest Tubb and Red Foley and also recorded several songs including ‘Lovesick Blues’, ‘Mansion On The Hill’ and ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’ with Hank Williams. He rejoined WLW and theMid-Western Hayride in 1948 but in 1951, he returned to Nashville and worked with many artists including George Morgan. He first recorded as a solo artist for Mercury Records in 1949, and later cut sides for Decca Records, RCA Records, and Monument Records. He wrote and recorded ‘Steeling The Blues’, ‘Steeling The...
Read the Full Biography of Jerry Byrd
|
OLDIES.com on
|
