Jerry Byrd on Stringmaster + Why He Quit Hotel Work (1988)

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

(I would post this on the "steel on the web" section, but I think its more fitting here.
It would be great to have some Steel Without Pedals sub-forums.) Mr. Green

A Youtube channel which archives videotapes from the late George "Keoki" Lake's great collection, has, for the first time in 10+ years, recently uploaded more videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@HalfMoonSteel/videos

Interestingly, some of the new tapes are from 1988 featuring Jerry Byrd playing a borrowed 24.5" blond T8 Stringmaster, he even says "I've never played a Fender in all my life"!

One standout for me is a gorgeous version of Deep Purple, starting at around 3:45 in this vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTSbU5Fg5yQ

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In the 1988 HSGA convention tape of his set, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uij4e8eTUmk
Jerry Byrd gives candid explanation as to why he quit hotel work in Hawaii.

Transcription:
"Everybody wants to know why I quit... well, I'm already living proof that some people don't know when to quit! I should've quit a long time ago. Very Happy

There's a lot about the music business that you don't know. You come to Hawaii, you go to Halekulani Hotel... a beautiful setting, best in the world.
Here are three guys [Byrd's trio], in an ideal job, all of you would love to have a job like that. Now that is on the face of it, and that is good.
But you don't know what we have to put up with from the management of the hotel. We are not appreciated. We are tolerated. And they'll tell you so.
We are considered to be like all the help; we can't go through the front door of the hotel, and have to go around the back and go through the back door to get in.

Generally, they import all of the hotel managers from Germany. Now, I don't like Germans because I'm about half German, you see. Laughing

But anyhow, we have to try to deal with these people. They come to Hawaii. They know not a damn thing about Hawaii. And they don't care to know.
They learn how to make nickels and dimes at the bottom of the page. And they deal in nickels and dimes. And they expect you to do the same.
So they are forever wanting to see how cheap you work. How many jobs you can do for the hotel for nothing.

We worked at the Halekalani for two years without a raise... and now I'm getting down to stuff you don't know about, see.
They changed hotel managers regularly, about every two years, and in essence, when they do this, you have to start all over again with the new manager.
I'm 68 this year, I'm not starting over again, with another manager, right? Laughing

I got a short fuse talking to these guys...
Anyway, the new manager's name is Ernst Abbe (sp?) ...and he's managing the Halekulani Hotel in Hawaii, eh? Very Happy

So I went up, we had a meeting, and he said they are not going to sign any new contracts (our contracts have already been expired for like 6 months).
Those that we could, would be a maximum 5% raise, and with that you would do one free job per month for the hotel. I said, "No. Not me."
You can't talk to them, it's a closed thing. All the time they're telling you they can't afford it. I asked them for 15%, which is nothing. They couldn't afford it.

But while we're doing this, they're building another new hotel across the street. There's a new hotel! Rolling Eyes

I asked them: "Have you raised your room rates in the last two years?"
(I know they have, about every three months they raise them, cheapest room they got is $250, on up to $600.) They have an apartment that rents for $14,000 a week... yet they "can't afford it").
So I say: "In terms you can understand, all we're asking you for is for three guys for three nights, which is less than one half-night's room rent of the cheapest room you've got in the hotel."
One half-night. And we're not worth that? After two years?
I said: "We're never late, we play anything you want, we look like professionals, we act like professionals, that's what you're paying for."
You might as well talk to a wall. But I tried another way:
"I know the price of your drinks... it's the most expensive place on the beach to drink. You take 4 people, who have 3 drinks. That's the same as our raise."
... "Can't afford it"

But that's what we need. So, I told my two guys. We've been together 10 years: "This is the end of an era for me. I cannot swallow this any more."
I have been there for 16 years, and it's been like that for 12 of them. And I worked for 6 German hotel managers.
And they're all the same. They don't know Jerry Byrd from a hole in the wall. They don't care. People come in and ask if Jerry Byrd is playing here: "Who?"

And people call, saying they want to make a reservation to hear Jerry Byrd:
"Hm? He's not playing here."
Yes, he is!
"No he isn't."

If they make reservations anyway, they come and tell me this. That manager doesn't even know I'm playing there, and this time for two years!
So enough already, I didn't want to bore you. I thought you'd be interested in the whole "why I quit".

You know what we do? We go to Japan, by God, where they love Hawaiian music and they appreciate what we do. They sit totally mesmerized, crying (and they do not cry in public).
They come up apologizing after the show "I'm sorry I cried when you played." I told them it's great! Don't apologize for that. And that's the way they are. So we go over there and play."

- Jerry Byrd at the 1988 HSGA convention in Joliet, Illinois

Picture from Chris Templeton

Nick Fryer · From: Ohio, USA

Thanks for posting this. I was the music director at a hotel for 5 years and reading about Jerry’s experience is very humbling and frustrating at the same time. It’s really hard being a working musician sometimes. It’s humbling to know that even the greatest of all time had to deal with all of this just like the rest of us. So many greats were deep in the trenches, slogging it out night after night just to make ends meets. It’s inspiring and sad at the same time. I wish American culture as a whole had a greater appreciation for the arts.
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K Maul · From: Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL

Nick Fryer · From: Ohio, USA

My last comment about “culture as a whole” was less in response to the hotel management but more in regards to Jerry’s comments on the attentive listening audiences in Japan. It’s amazing to realize that Jerry and his trio were up on the stand night after night playing music at the highest level but were mostly just “wallpaper” background music. It’s sad to see art not given the value and respect it deserves and that the general public doesn’t embrace it.
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Mike Neer · From: NJ

David Matzenik · From: Cairns, on the Coral Sea

When Jerry plays Deep Purple he goes into a reverse slant at about 5:30. The way his thumb fits the concave in the heel of the bar is a logical and smooth movement. IMO that is why flat indents are inferior, no matter how good the bar is otherwise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTSbU5Fg5yQ
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Rich Arnold · From: Tennessee, USA

That guy could make any steel sound great!!!! Amazing player!!!!!!

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Thanks for sharing this. Reminds me of Jazz guitarist Jimmy Raney, a true master artist. Raney once offered a comparison between the significance of his fame as a musician and fame in any other profession. "A famous bus driver only matters to other bus drivers," he declared. Sadly, that seemed to be the case for JB despite being at the height of his powers. No MacArthur Awards or NEA grants at that time period existed.
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Tim Toberer · From: Nebraska, USA

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

Had the pleasure of seeing Jerry's trio at the Royal Hawaiian Surf Room for a pleasant dinner (big buckolas) in the mid-'80s. Had the waiter request Steelin' The Blues, and from that point on Jerry sat down and visited at our party's table during breaks for the rest of the evening. A guy who really appreciated, and knew how to treat, his fans. One of the best shows I've ever seen. Superb!

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

If anyone would be interested, I have "Deep Purple" tabbed out for the E9th pedal tuning.
$2.50 plus postage. Very Happy

Erv

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

When I first settled in North Hollywood in the early 70s, I lived about 2 blocks down Lankershim Blvd from Donte's jazz club. Every Monday was "Guitar Night" and they would either have Lenny Breau, Joe Diorio, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Bob Bain from the Tonight Show band, Al Viola or a couple other big name jazz pickers play solo or w/a trio. I used to get there every Monday early and get the front table next to the bandstand. Many nights the place would be nearly empty but I got to know Lenny and especially Joe Pass on a first name basis. One night Joe pulled up a chair at my table between sets and said "Hey man are you a player"? I told him I was an R&B guitar player-new in town, and doubled on pedal steel. He said "You're a fool not to concentrate on steel in this town because guitar players are standing in line to play for free and you'll get more steel calls than you can handle". I took his advice and he wasn't wrong.

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Sad to hear Jerry's comments about his "house band" gig. I understand though. I had four long-term house gigs in the 70s and 80s, and we were treated as "employees" of the venue and replaceable, as far as the management was concerned. But it was steady work, 5 nights a week, leave your gear at the gig, steady money.

One of the downsides, as Jerry said... it was nearly impossible to get a raise in pay, even after 3 or 4 years at the place. I had a "Wednesday through Sunday" house gig for 5 years. And for 4 of those years we had another house gig every Monday and Tuesday. So that was 7 nights a week for 4 years. Two nights off per year... Thanksgiving and Christmas. I played stretches of over 200 nights in a row. After that I had a 5-day a week gig at an amusement park, all summer long. Again, we were basically wallpaper and considered "park employees".

House band gigs are long gone in this area. That's fine with me. Nowadays it's breweries, parties, town concerts, weddings, dance clubs, about 70 gigs a year. More variety, shorter hours, earlier hours, better pay, more respect.
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Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

Teachers and artists are perennially undervalued. We sure value you around here, Doug.
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Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

Garry Vanderlinde · From: CA

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