The Steel Guitar Forum

Maybe I can answer two things at once. I was referring to the C6th tuning as stated in the response. I may have confused the matter since Carl was talking of the C6/A7 and he most likely is correct on the date in the 40s for that.

I am Jerry's younger brother. I have joined the forum to reply for Jerry on those subjects he feeds me answers to for the items I send him that he feels an answer is necessary.

I don't play the steel guitar or any other instrument as most all of you probably wouldn't either if your brother was Jerry. It is just too hard of an act to follow. Jerry got all the musical genes for the entire family and put them to good use.

Aloha Jack, welcome aboard. So good to see your name here. I hope to meet you someday when you come to Hawaii again. If you need anything in Hawaii, don't hesitate to call or write me. Isaac Akuna

Thanks for the replies Jack.

It's good of you to function as an intermediary, very nice.

Living in Jerry's shadow must've been a good news/bad news situation for you sometimes, but a warm welcome to the forum.

Thanks again.

Jack Byrd....are you REALLY Jerry Byrd's brother? I was secretary of Jerry's Fan Club for a number of years back in the 1950's and while I basically grew into adult hood with knowledge of Lani Jo, etc., I recall little or no mention by Jerry of his family in Lima, Ohio. I corresponded with Millie Annis for years, dealing with the club and Steel Guitar Echos...the JBFC Journal. Just curious about you......and his family.

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<small>Ray Montee-email: mraymond4@qwest.net

Ray, Jack is Jerry brother.Jerry always was very guarded about his family. Glad to see you on board Jack. Jerry and I correspond by snail and cassette. I answer all the questions about Jerry that I can and contact him on the ones that I am not sure of. Having you on board can possibly cut down on the mailing time between here and Honolulu. By the way Jack,the video is great. Best wishes to you and yours. CC

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Ray,

Yes I am Jerry's younger brother. There were five siblings with just Jerry and I still living. Jerry is 14 years older than I am. Jerry was out on his own before I could remember his as a child, so the usual relationship you would expect as young'uns did not exist. My first memory of Jerry was of him lying in a hospital bed in our dinning room in Lima, Ohio near death from pneumonia in 1941. We are very close today and are in weekly contact.

I live in Wyoming, Michigan just around the corner from Clyde Park Avenue were Millie Annis lived who was the President of the fan club. Wyoming was not a city then but part of Grand Rapids. I remember reading the fan club newsletter as a teenager but did not save any of Mom and Dads copies. Wish I had as I have become the family historian and have traced and documented the Byrd history back to the late 1600's and the Bird/Byrd's were still in America then. I think they came over from England around the mid 1600's but can't prove that. I am still reasearching and finding new information about our lineage and have been working mostly lately on our mothers side. The Fan Club newsletter would fill in some of the missing information on Jerry that I do not have. He did so much back then and he can't recall some of it today. I still am trying to develope a complete list of his recordings but he did so many of them with different people he can't remember them anymore. Still do not have a complete listing of his albums and year they were recorded so if anyone can help I would appreciate it. I have many of them but some of them do not have the recording dates on the jackets. Jerry got me in the ballpark on some of them.