It Was a Trip On Wings of Music

In its 20th Anniversary edition listing the "20 That Mattered," Guitar Player magazine stated that "Jerry Byrd is the standard by which all steel guitarist must be measured ... The master of the steel guitar." Byrd's influence began in 1935. When drawn to the music by Hawaiian steel guitar legends, he went on to develop a style and invent tunings that would become synonymous with steel guitar. Later, after he arrived in Nashville in the mid-1940s, following stints in Detroit and Cincinnati, Byrd became a member of what is recognized as Music City's first "studio band" and the beginnings of the "Nashville Sound." In the process, he charted the course of steel guitar, not just as a session sideman but also as a recording artist in his own right, recording first for Mercury, then Decca, RCA Victor, Monument and others. Byrd's steel guitar discography is the world's largest. Book jacket.Centerstream Publications is the author of 'It Was a Trip On Wings of Music' with ISBN 9781574241310 and ISBN 1574241311.