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Jerry Woodard (May 25, 1941 - August 9, 1980) was a rockabilly singer and guitarist.
Jerry Eugene Woodard was born in Anniston, Alabama. His father was a minister who did not approve of rock ‘n roll and tried to steer the kids away from the devil’s music. Jerry’s friend and fellow performer, Jerry Grammer, said that Woodard always had religion inside him and it reminded him of Elvis and his convictions.
Jerry (as well as his siblings) inherited his talent and lust for music from his father who played guitar and banjo and his mother who played guitar and piano. Jerry’s mother taught young Jerry the first chords he learned on guitar before he went on to become a music superstar. Jerry with siblings Lee Wayne, Larry Dale, Roger, and Sherree and his parents moved from Anniston, Alabama to Yerington, Nevada when Jerry was 11. Winning a talent contest performing with brother Lee Wayne and another friend in 1952, Jerry did lead vocals on “Mansion in the Sky”. After this, brother Roger says, “Dad brought the family back to Alabama hoping to get the boys out of secular music, but to no avail”.
In 1955 they were living in Tuscumbia where Jerry met his future wife Margie who he married in 1958. Shortly after this, Jerry and Wayne got a daily 50-minute radio show on WHTB in Talladega doing rock ‘n roll. The show was very popular. Here at WHTB, Jerry met another musician who also had a show that was successful as well. His name was Bobby Mizzell. Because of their common love for rock ‘n roll, boogie woogie, and rockabilly music, they hit it off as friends and musical partners where they cut their first records together at the station – “You Are My Sunshine” and “You Don’t Love Me”.
Woodard and Mizzell relocated to Birmingham in 1956 to work on the "Country Boy Eddie Show" and "The Tom York Morning Show". Woodard also hosted the "Live from Big Hearted Eddie's" show for WBRC sponsor Eddie Perry. He also founded the Fad record label, on which he recorded several singles. Woodard's records with Jerry Reed garnered attention from Chet Atkins at RCA Victor. Jerry split with the Mizzell in 1959 and formed The Esquires with Dinky Harris, Doc Watson, Barry Beckett, Ronnie Eads and Johnny Carter, playing popular "sweet" music on live radio programs and in regular bookings at Pappy's Club and the Allstate Club on U.S. Highway 78.
Record labels Reed, Fad, Heart, Colvin, Dial, Chant, Chantain, Century Limited, Argo, and even RCA Victor gave Jerry Woodard a chance at the big time. Jerry was a singer who could sing every kind of music - from rockabilly to sad ballads to novelty to sweet soul to country to blues to spiritual. Everyone who ever worked with Jerry was simply amazed at his ability to sing "Who’s Gonna Rock My Baby" and then immediately switch and sing "She’s a Housewife, That’s All".
Jerry had hits with all of these labels, but just never got promoted to the top. He had been voted the #1 entertainment band in the nation, had had song #8 on American Bandstand, and saw many of his 45’s on the charts. Jerry was destined to make it, but did not live long enough to see it happen.
Woodard moved his young family to Pensacola, Florida in 1961 and played a standing gig at the Sahara Club for two years. Following this success, he then started Jerry Woodard’s Cock Rouge club which burned to the ground devastating Jerry financially. Friends helped him start another club two weeks later and the Flaming Cock Rouge club flourished with Jerry performing to huge crowds until an IRS audit left Jerry in financial ruin once again. At this point, in 1967 Jerry and his family moved back to Birmingham and with help from brother Wayne released a few records on the Chantain and Chant record label.
Also in 1968, while working at the Domino Club in Atlanta, he was offered a gig at the Golden Isles Club in St. Simon’s Island on the Atlantic coast of Georgia. He moved his family there where, after this gig, he opened a new club called the Gilded Cage that he operated and played in until 1977 when the nearby Navy base began closing down. Whilst in Atlanta Jerry purchased a Wah Wah peddle and would use it as often as he could which made his friends call him “Wah Wah Woodard.”
Jerry and Margie stayed at Simon’s Island until his untimely death. Plagued by alcoholism throughout his career, Woodard's level of activity waned through the 1970s, until he finally succumbed to the disease in 1980, aged 39.
