Jerry Beach

Jerry Marlon Beach (December 11, 1941 – January 10, 2016) was an American blues musician. His father was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Oklahoma City. He spent his first two years of high school in London where he learned how to play guitar before he and his family settled in Bossier City, Louisiana.[1]

Beach graduated from Bossier High School in 1960, and briefly attended Northwestern State University, but by then he was sitting in with local bands playing guitar and singing. By the mid-1960s, he and Danny Harrelson were headlining local clubs as "Danny and Jerry". He was a favorite on regional music scenes for 56 years in several bands such as: "Jerry Beach Band" or "Robin and the Bluebirds".

He was inducted to the Louisiana Hall of Fame in 1998, but his international fame resulted from his songwriting. In 1972, the late Albert King recorded Beach's "I'll Play the Blues for You",[2] which became a No. 1 US Billboard R&B chart hit and has been covered by many artists.[3] He also was nominated for a Grammy Award for the song.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his two brothers, and his mother in law. He is survived by his daughter Robin and his son Jeff, his grandchildren, his former wife, all of Shreveport; and brother Randal Beach from Dallas, Texas, and David Beach of Washington, D.C.

References
  1. "Jerry Beach's Obituary on Shreveport Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  2. Nathan Bush. "I'll Play the Blues for You - Albert King | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  3. "Local Legend Jerry Beach Passes Away at 74". ktbs.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.