JERRY ZYBACH BIO

An accomplished vocalist, guitarist, bassist, band leader, songwriter, arranger and producer, Jerry Zybach continues to stretch and grow as an artist, with multiple music projects in genres from blues to R&B, rock, Americana, country and bluegrass--primitive through progressive.  Ever think you’d hear blues slide ukulele? How about screamin' electric slide on a cigar box guitar?  He makes his shows unique, fun and deeply entertaining.

JZ has played with many headliners over the years. In 2006 and 2007, they included David "Honeyboy" Edwards (W.C. Handy award winner, Blues Hall of Fame) and Michael Frank (W.C. Handy award winner 2007); Ken Emerson (Taj Mahal, Bozz Scaggs, Charlie Musselwhite, Pablo Cruise, Grammy in 2006) and Dennis Dragon (The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Sugarland Blues Band); Curtis Salgado; 2006 BMA Best Contemporary Female Blues Vocalist nominee Barbara Blue, "The Memphis Queen" (2007 BMA "Best Contemporary Female Blues Artist" nominee, Blues Foundation board of directors and coolest biker chick in the universe); W.C. Handy nominee, vocalist/songwriter/harp masterJohnnie Dyer (The Mannish Boys); W.C. Handy award winner Michael "Hawkeye" Herman; Detroit Music Award winner Rollie Tussing; Denmark 's Bazookahosen; Northwest favorites Bill Rhoades; Ellen Whyte; Adam Scramstad, just to name a few. He opened in '06 and '07 for greats such as John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers; Little Ed and the Blues Imperials, Pat Travers, Michael Burks, Lloyd Jones, Larry Garner and many more. Zybach has headlined several large festivals--some from '06 and '07 include the Pacifica World Music Festival, Sunriver Blues Festival, Art and the Vineyard, King Estate Garlic Festival, Best of the Northwest Filbert Festival. He has been featured on the main stage of countless shows, including this year's Eugene Celebration and the Lane County Fair (both his blues band and his country show band) and the Vancouver Brewfest (with buddy Al Rivers). He plays the Oregon Country Fair every year with Rob Tobias and Friends. His Dry Gulch Ramblers play for a standing room only crowd (600 seats) at Willamette High Auditorium several times a year as a benefit for the school's music program. The Jerry Zybach Band was the after party band for the "Concert for Curtis" benefit at the Hult Center in March '07, which featured Curtis Salgado, Steve Miller, Jimmy Vaughan, Charlie Musselwhite and Little Charlie and the Nightcats. A personal highlight was playing guitar for Curtis for a couple of live radio shows--Curtis is one of JZ's all time favorite entertainers.

His progressive blues band, Jerry Zybach & the StageHogs has been a solid favorite at festivals and shows in the Northwest and was named by the Eugene Weekly's "BEST OF EUGENE" as one of the top blues bands for 2006.

He has been drawn to branch out with his various roots projects— with his Blues Scoundrels, and with his acoustic solos, duos and trios. A serious music scholar, specializing in the blues, Zybach offers roots music up through progressive blues, R&B and rock and tailors his shows to whatever a venue is looking for—roots and Delta style on through to tight, high energy Chicago, Delta, Texas and West Coast. Whether the show is straight up blues or a mix of blues, R&B, rock or his old fashioned country band, The Dry Gulch Ramblers, crowds at festivals and concerts are always satisfied. The StageHogs and the Blues Scoundrels have morphed into the Jerry Zybach Band.

Jerry is one of the founding directors of the Rainy Day Blues Society in Eugene (in fact, he named it) and is one of the instructors for the "Blues in the Schools" program. He supports many non-profit organizations--his main focus is on FOOD for Lane County and the Ben Powell Young Musicians Scholarship Fund, but JZ is well known for being quick to participate in a good cause, both as a performer and as a producer. He'll also be strummin' his guitar and swingin' a hammer to help Springfield/Eugene Habitat for Humanity in '08.

He builds and plays cigar box guitars—instruments from “back in the day”, when musicians built stringed instruments out of whatever they could find because they couldn’t afford “store bought” ones. He also plays a wide array of not so everyday instruments--diddlybows, dulcimers, ukuleles and a silverware box stand up bass, to name a few. (Click on the STORE tab to check out the CBG's). There is a huge resurgence of roots music of all kinds, both the study and performance of it by musicians and the intense appreciation of it by audiences. Zybach co-produced the 2006 Roots & Rhythms Series, a series of roots music festivals which celebrated three generations of musicians and showcased blues elders in an effort to give audiences a chance to hear them in person before they pass and in order for musicians in his area to receive hands on instruction and to hear first hand accounts of the way it was from some of the masters. The first show of the series (January 2006) featured legendary David “Honeyboy” Edwards, one of the oldest performing Delta bluesmen. Edwards honored Zybach by inviting him to play guitar with him the following day at his show at Mississippi Studios in Portland. Honeyboy also hired Zybach to join him and Michael Frank as the opening act and as second guitar on several gigs in September 2006. Jerry Zybach with Blue Moon Society opened for and backed Barbara Blue, "The Memphis Queen", in October '07 on her first West Coast tour.

JZ collaborates with several top notch musicians on his various projects and is looking forward to his 2008 tours with some great musicians, including shows with Blues Hall of Famer David "Honeyboy" Edwards and BMA award winner Michael Frank and with Grammy award winning guitarist Ken Emerson. He is in the studio now working on his new album, due out in January, 2008.

JERRY ZYBACH PROJECTS

SOLO:
Available as acoustic, electric or both. Jerry has an endless play list includes blues (roots, conventional and progressive), Americana, ballads, rock, folk and country that consists of dozens of originals and covers that he makes his own.  Zybach plays finger style and slide on a wide array of instruments including guitars ranging from his Gibson 135 and Harmony H50 to resonators, mandolins, ukuleles and dulcimer to his handmade cigar box guitars. He can mix genres or do a straight up show in any of several styles. He hires out to several different bands as a vocalist, a guitarist and as a bassist and hosted his popular "Front Porch Blues Jam" at the Red Lion Hotel for two years.

The JERRY ZYBACH BAND :

This is NOT the 1-4-5 band next door. From a three or four piece through his 12 piece horn band, he will tailor the show to fit your needs from roots to progressive music. This tight, high energy, versatile band will deliver what you're looking for, whether a straight up blues show, or any combination of blues, R&B, funk and rock. He also offers an incredible blues show which goes for the Chess Records sound--older, greasier, dirtier. Cuts from the StageHogs CD are regulars in the play rotation on local radio stations KRVM and KLCC. These guys are the real deal.

The JERRY ZYBACH ROOTS COMBOS:

Whether it's a duo, trio, quartet or more, JZ's roots projects are entertaining showcases of the roots styles of many genres of music. His duos with Ken Emerson even bring Hawaiian slide and slack key into the mix (did we mention the Grammy?). His combos that include Brook Adam's insane Gypsy/Django style defy description. He brings amazing finger style blues guitarist Adam Scramstad on board for many of his shows. Washboard virtuoso Michael MorningSun regularly joins in and Froggy Hyland sits in on lap steel and chromatic harp. Zybach's roots blues shows are as good as it gets. He plays various electric and acoustic guitars, resonators, handmade cigar box guitars and basses, ukuleles and dulcimers and is joined by incredible guitarists, vocalists and percussionists on washboards, stomp boards, gut buckets, bamboo flutes--these guys play everything but the kitchen sink. Hmmm, that's not a bad idea...

The DRY GULCH RAMBLERS: THE DRY GULCH RAMBLERS :

Polite folk wouldn't say big ass if they had a mouth full, but that's the best way to describe this incarnation from Zybach's varied musical palette. This is a BIG ASS country band. With six pieces plus special guests, this isn't just a band, it's a full blown show! Remember the days when you couldn't have a country band without a fiddle and a pedal steel? When the band leader said "Aah haah!" and SOMEBODY was wearin' sequins? Where never was heard a discouraging word? This is an old country swing/twang group that's out to bring the fun back to both country AND western music. This band has nearly too much sound for one room to hold! Zybach, the Polish Porter Wagoner, is again joined by a group of seasoned players who bring their own brilliant but insane stylings to this crazy bunch.  This wild ride is what would happen if Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Roy Rogers, Red Foley, Asleep at the Wheel and Flatt & Scruggs grew up in the same household and Albert Lee, Ernest Tubb, Speedy West and Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks were the next door neighbors.  Jerry Zybach and Brook Adams on vocals, guitars, mandolins, banjos and ukuleles (yup, you heard me right, partner, UKULELES); the stand up bass slot is filled by Kevin Williams (Merle Haggard's bass player) when he's available and Scoop McGuire (used to tour with both Roy Roger's and Shana Morrison's blues bands) when Kevinis on the road with THE MAN; Larry Blom on pedal steel and more vocals; Rob Tobias on honky tonk piano, campfire harmonica and, yes, EVEN MORE vocals and Theo Halpert on drums. JZ throws in country fiddle when it's a big enough gig and special guest vocalists and instrumentalists join in the fun once in a while.This show has been in the back of Jerry "Rawhide Red" Zybach's mind since way back when he was on tour with the great Hank Thompson. The Emerald Valley Opry features them often in their 600 seat auditorium and they wow the capacity crowd every time.  Put on yer dancin' shoes and enjoy the show!

"Talk about a "fun-loving" band that rubs off on the audience! The Dry Gulch Ramblers bring people to their feet and leaves people saying things like "XX!!! -- they're good!"...Carrie Matsushita, Marketing Manager, Lane Events Center

SOME OF THE FOLKS JZ COLLABORATES WITH:

Ken Emerson--- Grammy award winning guitarist------- www.kenemerson.com

David "Honeyboy" Edwards and Michael Frank--- -deep Delta blues from the Blues Hall of Fame living legend------ www.earwigmusic.com

Johnnie Dyer--Incredible vocals and harmonica from a blues master

Barbara Blue--Full on blues with "The Memphis Queen"------ www.barbarablue.com

Rollie Tussing----Winner of several Detroit Music Awards, incredible hillbilly deluxe rockin' one man band and cigar box guitar wizard---- www.rollietussing.com

Brook Adams--- Amazing Gypsy/Django tom-foolery from the king of the Swingin' Marmalukeys--- www.brookadams.com

Adam Scramstad--- Pure, clean finger style country blues, foot stompin' all the way--- www.adamscramstad.com

Jason Anderson and Blue Moon Society--- Tight, hard driving Texas blues trio with smokin' guitar---www.bluemoonsociety.com

Michael MorningSun--- Amazing percussion from the washboard master, he also plays electric bass and makes and plays incredibly beautiful bamboo flutes.

Skip Jones and Byron Case--- Two of the best at what they do---www.skipjones.com

Mack "Daddy" Singleton--- Acoustic bass from one of the most popular drummers around--go figure...

Rob Tobias--- Very popular Eugene folk artist, joins with guitar and keyboard---www.robtobias.com

Froggy Hyland--- Chromatic harp the way it should be played, guitar and lap steel

Al Rivers--- Smokey voiced blues--- www.MySpace.com