Born Jerry Naylor Jackson in Stephenville, TX - March 6,1939
Jerry began his 40 year music career with the San Angelo, TX based group "The Cavaliers" in 1957. They would play 15 Minute radio shows 6 Days A Week On KPEP (Where Jerry Was A D.J.) and at a local night club "Taylor's Night Spot". The band was alternating with Dean Beard & The Crew Cats (Abilene group) at the San Angelo Youth Center where it was broadcast live on KTXL.
After spending a year in the service, Jerry continued working on radio when in 1960 The Crickets offered Jerry the lead vocalist spot. He would be with them for the next five years & appeared on their Liberty recordings until being sidelined by heart problems while in his twenties.
He later toured USAF bases in England in the late 60s and eventually released several records under the name "Jackie Garrard". His first charted record being "But For Love" on Columbia Records in 1970 (#42 in Cash Box). In 1975 he recorded "Is This All There Is To A Honky Tonk" that went to #27 on Billboard's charts. From 1975 to 1986 Jerry would have a total of 9 more songs that would ease into the top 100 including "If You Don't Want To Love Her" reaching #37.
In the meantime he kept busy as a DJ on radio KLAC in Los Angeles before moving to Tennessee to become the host of the "Music City USA" TV show, and co-hosted the Academy Of Country Music Awards in 1976 with Loretta Lynn.
Jerry has co-produced television shows for ABC, Metromedia, Musifilms, Home Box Office
and Mike Curb Productions.
This year he was invited to Nashville to represent The Crickets on the "Rock & Roll Graffiti"
oldies special that aired on TNN.
Jerry & his wife Pamela reside in Oregon.
Rare still from UK film "Just For Fun", 1963
(Sonny Curtis & Jerry Naylor)
www.JerryNaylor.com
