Jerry Byrne (singer)
| Jerry Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gerard Donald Byrne |
| Born |
February 2, 1941 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
| Died | April 7, 2010 (aged 69) Morgan City, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, businessman |
| Years active | 1957–mid-1960s 1980s |
| Labels | Specialty |
Gerard Donald "Jerry" Byrne (February 2, 1941 – April 7, 2010) was an American rock and roll singer from New Orleans, best known for his 1958 single "Lights Out".
The son of Charles and Mayme Byrne, he was born and raised in the Irish quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, and, like his cousin Mac Rebennack (later known as Dr. John), became strongly influenced by African-American rhythm and blues. He sang with Rebennack's band, the Loafers, who began performing in local bars and nightclubs. On one occasion in 1957, Byrne joined in with his hero Little Richard on stage in Slidell, Louisiana, and impressed Harold Battiste, then A&R man at Specialty Records, who signed him up soon afterwards to record.
In February 1958, Byrne recorded the song "Lights Out" – a "blistering rocker" written by Rebennack with his friend Seth David – at Cosimo Matassa's studio, with a band that included Edgar Blanchard (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), Art Neville (piano), and Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums). Harold Battiste played saxophone and produced the session. Released on the Specialty label, the record became a regional hit but failed to make the national charts. Nevertheless, Specialty released two further singles by Byrne, "You Know I Love You So" and, in 1959, "Carry On", but neither were successful. Byrne also recorded a novelty tribute record to a local TV personality, as "Morgus and the Three Moguls" with Rebennack and Frankie Ford. In 1960, he, Rebennack and Ford joined forces with Huey "Piano" Smith, collectively credited for contractual reasons as the Cheerleaders, to record "Chinese Bandits", in support of the local football team.
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