Wayne Jerrolds

Inventor—Entrepreneur—Musician—Songwriter—Community Servant—Mentor—Conservationist—Humanitarian

Wayne Jerrolds grew up in a small farming community known as Burnt Church in the southern part of rural Hardin County, Tennessee (about 115 miles east of Memphis).  Savannah, Tennessee is the nearest town to this community. 

When he was a young boy, Wayne and his brothers worked in the fields.  They cut timber, loaded logs before school, raised chickens, sold ducks eggs and picked cotton in Missouri. Anything to earn a dollar! Wayne learned from his father, Paul Jerrolds, how to buy and trade. He learned a strong work ethic, a solid faith and to be punctual.  He also learned how important it is be a man of his word. These personal attributes can be heard in the lyrics of a song he wrote titled “Dear Old Daddy.” Tradition is very important to Wayne. 

Wayne still attends the Union Church that his grandfather started in their community in 1942.  In the late forties, families would hold musicals in their homes on Friday and Saturday nights.  The community dances were the social events of the week.  Wayne remembers going to his Uncle Grover Neill’s home and hearing the fiddle for the first time. He admired the old-time musicians. Wayne recalls that the old timers referred to the fiddle as “the devils’ instrument.”  His mother, Robbie Smith Jerrolds, loved music and encouraged her son. This is reflected in the lyrics of his song, “You Were Always There, Mom.”         

When Wayne was nine years old, his first family guitar was bought with money from selling firewood. They heard the advertisement on the radio and wrote to Bob West, Del Rio, Texas. The guitar came four weeks later. 

Out of the four Jerrolds brothers, Wayne and Bobby were the only two to learn how to play the guitar. His Aunt Imogene Hosea played the guitar and was very instrumental in his early musical achievements. Wayne went door-to-door selling garden seeds and duck eggs to finally buy his first fiddle.  His Uncle R.D. Smith, and Hardin Qualls, both musical talents, helped him learn his beginning fiddle licks.  Wayne also learned unique fiddling styles from Red Taylor and Al Lester. 

Wayne won his first fiddling contest at the 1958 Mid-South Fair.  This first place award won him a trip to Miami, Florida to compete on Ted Mack’s The Original Amateur Hour.  Wayne and brother, Bobby, were given tickets to fly down to Florida, but they returned the tickets for compensation and rode to Miami in a tomato truck with their cousin, Dave Neill (they were both afraid to fly).  

In 1974 Wayne won the Mid-South Fiddling Contest in Memphis. This was the last contest Memphis sponsored.    As a contest fiddler, Wayne won the Tennessee State Fiddling Contest several times in the late 60’s and early 70’s.  He also has won multiple competitions in Mississippi and Alabama.

Wayne played and traveled in the early years with Rual Yarbough, Al Lester, Jake Landers and Hershel Sizemore, the Country Boy Eddie Show with Annette Byrd (alias Tammy Wynette), Carl Mann, Loretta Lynn, and the Flint River Boys. He and cousin, Jimmy Robinson, also toured with Carroll Robertson.  In 1982 and 1983 he played at the World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee and in 1983 he performed on the syndicated television show, Fire on the Mountain, an Opryland production. The Warrior River Boys from Birmingham, Alabama, Gary Thurman, Al Lester and Red Taylor were also on the program.

Legend of Buford Pusser

McNairy County, Tennessee—which is located adjacent to Wayne’s home county of  Hardin—came to national attention in the early 1970s due to the release of the major motion picture about Buford Pusser (the McNairy County sheriff) titled Walking Tall.  The movie was inspired by an album titled Eddie Bond Sings the Legend of Buford Pusser performed by Bond, a popular rockabilly singer in the 1950s who had served as Buford Pusser’s deputy.  All ten cuts on the album tell Pusser’s story.

Bond released the album, produced by “Cowboy” Jack Clement in 1973.  The album’s release helped inspire the Walking Tall movie starring Joe Don Baker (the 1973 film was followed by sequels in 1975 and 1977 starring Bo Svenson).   In 1978 a made for TV movie about Pusser, titled A Real American Hero, was released staring Brian Dennehy as Pusser.  Wayne Jerrolds, who was a real life friend of Pusser, played in a square dance scene in the TV movie and co-produced the movie’s musical score.  Wayne later wrote a song titled “Buford Pusser.” 

Becoming a Blue Grass Boy

In 1988, Wayne Jerrolds was given the opportunity to become a member of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys.  Wayne remembers, “Every fiddle player’s dream is to play with the great Bill Monroe. I dreamed of being a Blue Grass Boy, and my dream came true in November of 1988. Buddy Spicer was playing with Mr. Monroe and Crystal Gale in Lebanon, Tennessee at a bluegrass show.  I drove three hours to see him. I met him after the show and we were jamming backstage.  Mr. Monroe asked me, ‘Boy, would you be interested in playing fiddle for me? If so, be in Ripley, Mississippi, the last week in November.’  So, I did and played twin fiddles with Buddy Spicer after the show.  Mr. Monroe said, ‘I’ll call you next week.’ (We have all heard that line!) “I never thought I would hear from him.  I was working in and out of town with no cell phones and no answering service. The week was moving on…it was Thursday and my home phone rang and a nice lady on the other end said, ‘Are you Wayne Jerrolds?’  I responded, ‘Yes Ma’am.’  She said, ‘Mr. Monroe has been calling you all week. Please hold for Mr. Monroe.’  He came on the line and said, ‘Where have you been, boy?’   I told him, ‘Mr. Monroe, I’ve been out of town, tunning pianos all week.’  He said, ‘You want to play with me tomorrow night?’  In shock, I hesitated and asked, ‘Where?’  He said, ‘The Grand Ole Opry!’ My heart was beating so fast, I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. He said, ‘Get into the union and meet me at the back stage door of the Opry.’  This was the first Saturday in December, 1988.  I was officially a Blue Grass Boy!

New Year’s Eve found us on Jekyll Island, Georgia at a bluegrass festival. Tom Ewing had given notice that he was leaving the band. I got my cousin, Scottie Baugus, an audition to play for Mr. Monroe. He sang two songs on stage and was hired.  This made Scottie and me—two boys from Savannah, Tennessee—members of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys.

“We played most of the time three and four nights a week. Some weeks we played as many as six or seven.  Mr. Monroe was planning to open his own club on music row in the summer. He was working extra shows to have enough cash to open.  Scottie had a family concrete business. I had a music store, real estate business and piano tuning contracts in Savannah which needed my attention. Tater Tate wanted to give up playing the upright bass and go back to the fiddle.  Tom Ewing was sick of quitting and wanted his old job back. So, in April of 1989, everything worked out for the good of everyone.  Mr. Monroe gave me his saddle, spurs, bridle, one of his hats and left this country boy some mighty great memories.  He told me if I ever wanted to come back to work for him, just let him know! I attended birthdays parties for him in Nashville and was going to visit him on what was to be his birthday the year he passed. I was already in Nashville when they called and told me he had passed away. [Editor’s note: Bill Monroe was born on September 13^th, 1911 and passed on September 9^th, 1996, just four days shy of his 85^th birthday].  I truly respected Mr. Monroe’s talents and was honored to have been his friend.”

Bill Monroe recorded Wayne’s “Blue Savannah Waltz,” but it was not featured on an album.  Wayne explains, “Mr. Monroe had cut 13 songs for the album and only 12 could be included.  Mine was the only waltz tune and it was left off the album Southern Flavor (released in 1988). In 1989, the first bluegrass Grammy for a “Bluegrass Album of the Year” was awarded to Southern Flavor.  Later, the song was recorded by the Flint River Boys on the Bell Buckle label.”

While in New York at a show, Mr. Monroe wrote the “Sadonna Breakdown” in honor of Wayne’s daughter, Sadonna. They played it that very night on stage.  Over the years, Wayne appeared hundreds of times on the Grand Ole Opry stage with Monroe.

In addition to the above-mentioned songs, Wayne notably also co-wrote “Mississippi” with Jake Landers (famous for writing numerous hit songs like “Walk Softly on this Heart of Mine”).  The song was recorded by Bobby Osborne on his album titled Where I Come From (released in 2002).  Additionally, Jimmy Campbell recorded Wayne’s instrumental, “Ahead of the Hounds” on his Young Opry Fiddler album released in 1993 on the Pinecastle label.

Inventor and Entrepreneur

In addition to being a master fiddler, Wayne is a man of many other talents.  He moved and restored his 1800 antebellum house, which now overlooks the beautiful Tennessee river and the city park which bears his name.  He calls his home, “Fiddlers’ Ridge” (appropriately named by his cousin, Freeda Robinson Ashe).    

In 1984, the park became the home of the Wayne Jerrolds’ Savannah Bluegrass Festival.  The festival was founded by Wayne in 1978 (now in its 45th year), but was held at other locations in Savannah before finding its home at the park.  The festival was established on this property, Wayne Jerrolds Park, when Wayne donated part of his riverfront land to the city for the park. 

Wayne is also the inventor of the “fidd-o-lin,” a mandolin on one side and a fiddle on the other.  Wayne had a need to play both instruments during a song, and switching between the instruments was too slow, so he invented this new combination instrument.   He holds a U.S. patent on the instrument and he has sold several to date.

Giving Back

In addition to his career as a performing musician and directing a highly successful bluegrass festival, Wayne Jerrolds has always given back to his community.  He is a 35-year founding board member for Country Christmas, a local fundraising event for underprivileged children.  He is also a 40-year founding board member for Hee Haw, a fundraiser for local cancer patients.   He is also a 10-year member of University of Tennessee at Martin board of directors.

Wayne has entertained the residents of area nursing homes monthly for 50 plus years, giving generously of his time and talent. He has also performed for 36 years in the Shiloh Military Park Memorial Day Service.  Wayne has also been a mentor to 100’s of aspiring young fiddle players. They have all benefited from his knowledge.   Wayne said, “All they have to do is ask!”

Wayne has been rewarded many times for his community service efforts. Over the years, he has received three Tennessee House of Representatives resolutions from the following state officials: Representative Herman Wolfe, Representative Randy Rinks and Senator Page Walley.  The Walley resolution states, “Wayne Jerrolds epitomizes the spirit and commitment that are characteristic of a true Tennessean.”  Additionally, the Savannah Rotary Club awarded Wayne several of their most prestigious awards over the years.  He was also given the title “The Mayor of Bluegrass” by Savannah’s Mayor Bob Shutt. Wayne was also inducted into the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame and the McNairy County Music Hall of Fame.

Wayne Jerrolds has surpassed his dreams playing with the greats and traveling to places such as Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York and the biggest of all, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. And yes, he got over his fear of flying!  He has become the musician he admired, as a boy, on the front porch in the quaint rural Tennessee community of Burnt Church.

Wayne’s heart for music can be summed up in this poem. Author unknown.

Music

Music is one of the most powerful

Forces in the world

This power can move a person from

Pride to humility,

From anger to love.

Music can move people to weep,

Exhilarate and furnish

Them escape from worry.

Music is art

Whose power

Has conquered the world.

Music is love in search of a word