Jerry Byrd

stubby · Post by **stubby** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 4:01 pm

I'm just reading the Richard Smith Rickenbacker book and he talks about the importance of Jerry Byrd in early Rickenbacker history for promoting the guitar through his playing. Does the naming of The Byrds have anything to do with this fellow?

Don Miller · Post by **Don Miller** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 7:51 pm

Nope.

Jerry Byrd was a non-pedal steel player..played on alot of Hank Williams stuff...he was the originator of several steel tunings including B13,C6 and C6/A7. Byrd moved to Hawaii and recorded alot of Hawaiian style steel..wrote a book on non-pedal steel too...

The "Byrds" was a take off on the mid 60s trend to use animal names for the band...like the Beatles....couldnt use "Birds" because thats british slang for "girls"..so the "i' became "y"

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:38 pm

"couldnt use "Birds" because thats british slang for "girls"..so the "i' became "y""

So, what's wrong with girls?

Don Miller · Post by **Don Miller** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 8:21 pm

Nothing wrong with girls...but this was 1965..and to some, the gender of long hair rocknrollers with the Carnaby street-mod styles was suspect...to play in a band called "the girls" or the Birds or whatever could have been fatal...professionally and literally..

jps · Post by **jps** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:22 am

Okay, how about "Lookin' Fer Byrds"!

just_bassics · Post by **just_bassics** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 9:21 am

A Byrd in the hand is worth how many in the bush?

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 11:18 am

I suppose Byrdwatchers has already been taken.

drathbun · Post by **drathbun** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 3:28 pm

A man came to them on a flaming pie and said "From now on you will be BYRDS with a Y"