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Jerry comes from a long line of musicians, and was first coerced to sing along as a small child while his Mom, Dad, or
paternal grandmother played piano. A native New Yorker, he was exposed to a wide range of music coming out of the folk, rock,
and country rock scene in the seventies and early eighties. Groups like the Grateful Dead, Old and In The Way, the Eagles,
Allman Brothers, and America gave way to David Grisman, Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Mark O' Connor, and Norman Blake upon his move
to Richmond in the late seventies. Teamed with a crew of hardcore southwest Virginians, he played guitar and sang in "Code
Bluegrass" and "Wreckless Abandon", and traded Greenwich Village and Central Park for KOA campgrounds and the Galax Fiddler's
Convention.
He continued to work on his flatpicking guitar style after a move to Rochester, N.Y. and played for four years
in an acoustic duo ("Mitch and Jerry"), also happening upon the loves of his life (a 1971 Martin D-28, and
his wife Terri, listed in chronological order of introduction). "The people I was playing with were so good, I had to get
better just to keep up with them!"
Another (hopefully final) relocation landed Jerry in Norfolk, Virginia, where he has lived for the past 17 years. After
a decade of dust and only an occasional bluegrass jam or open mike night, one day Dave Gallo asked Jerry to come out and jam
with Penny's band, "Quality Time" at the Downtown Cafe, and reawakened his interest and enthusiasm for playing.
"That was over five years ago, and they've been stuck with me ever since!"
After finding that George and Penny shared a similar eclectic catalog of music, Certified Acoustic evolved, with Jerry
picking up mandolin along the way. "I feel so fortunate to be playing with such fine, fun, and talented people, but am still
at a loss when asked, 'So what kind of stuff do you play?' " "Acoustic stuff. All over the map", is the usual answer.
"Hope you can join us and find out!"
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