On this day (March 9) in 1920, Jerry Byrd was born in Lima, Ohio. He is best remembered as a master of the steel guitar. As a studio musician, he played with some of the biggest names in classic country music, including Hank Williams and Patsy Cline. Additionally, Byrd offered Dolly Parton a publishing deal at Combine Publishing shortly after she moved to Nashville.
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Byrd first heard the steel guitar at a traveling tent show when he was 12 years old. He immediately fell in love with the instrument and knew he wanted to learn to play. Three years later, he was playing lap steel in bars. While his main interest was Hawaiian music, his best-known work was within country music.
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In the mid-1940s, Byrd joined Ernest Tubb’s band, the Texas Troubadours, for a short time. According to Hillbilly Music, he was in the band when they filmed the Hollywood Barn Dance movie. Later, he joined the Cumberland Valley Boys, backing Red Foley. The middle of the decade saw him join the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. As a result, he became an in-demand session musician, playing for some of the biggest names in the business. For instance, he played on some of Hank Williams’ early recordings, including “Lovesick Blues,” “Mansion on the Hill,” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
Jerry Byrd’s Impact Behind the Scenes
Jerry Byrd didn’t just influence generations of steel guitar players. He also made decisions that helped shape the future of American music. For instance, he was the head of Combine Publishing when Dolly Parton moved to Nashville in 1964. He recognized her talent and offered her a publishing deal.
During her time with Combine, she wrote two top 10 hits for Bill Phillips–“Put It Off Until Tomorrow” and “The Company You Keep.” She also penned “Fuel to the Flame,” which was a hit for Skeeter Davis. After finding success as a songwriter, she inked a recording contract with Monument Records in 1965.
He also reportedly taught several artists to play the steel guitar. Among those who learned from the man who earned the nickname the Master of Touch and Tone was Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.
Byrd’s Island Life
Hawaiian music got Jerry Byrd hooked on the steel guitar. However, he spent most of his career playing country music. Then, in the early 1970s, he chose to walk away from country music. He moved to Hawaii and focused on the music that led him to the instrument that made him a legend.
According to the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame, Byrd “changed his whole style of playing from Nashville steel to Hawaiian steel.” There, he helped revive the instrument’s popularity in the Hawaiian mainstream “through his work with local artists, performing with some and working with others.”
He lived, worked, and performed in Hawaii until his death in April 2005.
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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