Jerry Byrd

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Likewise Jack for confirming what I said that was debunked erroneously..

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

Ray Montee, in Jerry's book he retells in detail the struggle with his parents, in regards to his desire to become a musician.

Basihl, thanks for the correction you reminded me of my 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Katherine Southall. She used to keep us all in from recess when we mispronounced or mispelled a word. We used to get nailed to her Cross, so to speak for our bad grammar and the mispronounciation of words like "libery" for library. Or saying, "Can me and James go and outside and dust the erasers."

To quote her, "NO! you may not!!! YOU may say, 'May I and James, go do and dust the erasers!" Oh my, shiver me timbers, I thought I was in 2nd Grade or was that grammar school?" Winking

Oh well, I suppose that is why I try to learn a precise and concise English grammar, and use only the bad grammar and mispellings to confound the wise or as a pose. Mrs. Southall, wherever you wound up in the afterlife, thanks for your corrections and no we don't dust erasers anymore at school, we use the dry erase boards these days. But I do say library when needed.

Thanks and Cheers!

Terry Wood

Jack Byrd · From: Kalamazoo, Michigan

To keep the record perfectly straight I will add this additional information. The Bird/Byrd name in our family has been confirmed as English. Our grandparents on the Byrd side starting with the paternal as has been said is English and on the maternal side it is German.

Our grandparents on our mother's side (paternal and maternal are both German) So if you want to get technical and really want to know what Jerry's ethnic make up is and not just his father's he is three quarters German and one quarter English. As I went further back into our ancestry I find plenty more of German. Therefore his refernce to his German blood is right on. He was mostly German, his father mostly English.

Also our Grandfather changed our name from BIRD to Byrd in the late 1880's. I know that will cause some questions.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Well, now I feel 3/4's (75%) correct in my earlier comments. Jerry told me that his olde school German lineage made it difficult for him to pursue his musical desires/ambition.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Thanx, Jack!

I know at least me and Ray would love to hear everything you have to say about Jerry and the family.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Americans seem to love to simplify their ancestry. If their grandparents are Scottish, English, German and Spanish they will say they are 25% Scottish, 25% English, etc. I was born in England, so my children could say they were half English, and my wife is Ameican, so they could say they were half American.

....but, wait a minute. My wife's ancestors, just going back three generations are Irish, Swedish, English and Sioux, while my own ancestors are English, Scottish, Welsh, French, etc.

Remember that the English are not indigenous to England, they were Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Kents, Flemings, who only settled in the country about 1200 to 1400 years ago. Modern English people are, on average, 20% Norman (which itself is 40% French, 60% Norwegian), 60% Anglo-Saxon, and 20% Celtic. Every European is a mixture of Germanic, Latin, Slavic, Celtic, and aboriginal prehistoric Europeans (who left no written record) to varying proportions.

Everyone has two parents, four grandparents, etc. Genealogists reckon on an average of 30 years per generation. Go back just 900 years and you have 2 to the power 30 ancestors, which is 1,073,741,824. That's greater than the population of the world at the time. And, yes, you HAVE to have all those ancestors to exist. The anomoly, of course, is that you're counting the same people many times over, because of interbreeding.

Do you get the message ? Every person on earth is related to every other person within just a few generations, and we're just scratching the surface, because modern man has been around for, not 900 years, but close to 2,000,000 years. We're all cousins !

When an aristocrat says his ancestry goes back to Edward the Confessor, he means that his male line, or what he has on record, goes back to Edward the Confessor. What he doesn't mention is that almost everyone in Europe could trace ancestry back to Edward the Confessor if the records were available. What he also doesn't mention is that that's just one of his millions of ancestors in that generation.

When someone says that his family goes back to the puritan settlers, you have to look at the arithmetic. 1500 AD was 500 years, or about 16 generations ago. That ancestor was just one of about 64,000 ancestors in that generation.

Genealogy is a lifetime pursuit, so please let's not have any "my family is 50% German" when you're only going back three generations... Rolling Eyes

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

Well......regardless of where Jerry's ancestors came from, we know all we need to know about him. Very Happy

Did I mention the I'm half English?

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

You may be half English. But my last name is GERMAN for Titmouse. And a Titmouse is a BIRD. Laughing

_________________
Amor vincit omnia

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

You bet, bro! Winking

_________________
Amor vincit omnia

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Now go play it like Jerry!

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Larry W. Jones · From: Longmont, Colorado

Here's my "tribute song" the day Jerry died.

Jerry Byrd (Larry W. Jones 04/11/2005) (song#3722)

Jerry Byrd was a man of steel
He was the master of touch and tone
To know he's gone just don't seem real
But Jerry's life has come and flown

Jerry Byrd meant a lot to us
We'll all miss his golden touch
His music always was a plus
His steel guitar played so much

Til April eleven in twenty oh five
Jerry kept musical dreams alive
He was the master of touch and tone
For cowboys and the tropic zone

But we've got more than his steel guitar
We've got his music that will 'ere be heard
You were loved both near and far
Master of touch and tone was Jerry Byrd
Master of touch and tone was Jerry Byrd

In my briefcase, I keep the nice card I received from his wife, a memorial card with his photo, and the memorial program schedule.

The card says:
Dear Mr. Jones,
What a moving tribute to a great master!! Very touching! I've come to know so many wonderful friends and fans albeit under sad circunstances but nevertheless all grand people. Thank you so very much.
Aloha, Kaleo
-----------------------
The memorial program schedule:

Greetings and Introduction - Aaron Mahi
Prayer - Aaron Mahi
Personal Remembrances - Dewitt Scott, Issac Akuna, Hiram Olsen
Musical Offering - Nina Kealiiwahamana
Eulogy - Lani Fosbinder
Closing Song (I'll Remember You) - Bill Ha'ole
Blessing of Ashes - Aaron Mahi
Scattering of Ashes - Elks' Beachboys

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

I'm one of the fortunate ones. I bought my book from Jerry, and of course he autographed it, and his wife, Kaleo, signed her name under her photo in the book.
I consider it a real treasure .

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

I never met Jerry, but his book has crossed the Atlantic with me three times so far. I find it engrossing reading on those long flights.

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

I like the caption next to the picture on page 83, "the steel guitar that nearly ended up in the Cumberland river" Very Happy

basilh · From: United Kingdom

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