Southern Branch Bluegrass
About Jerry
“I've wanted to do radio ever since I was a kid listening to the DJs on CKLW out of Windsor, Canada and Detriot, Mi in the 60s. Now that I am, the greatest thing about it is bringing the people's music (bluegrass) to folks that love it and some that never heard it!
How did I come about this music? Hmmm, lets see... when I was young my father would take me with him to see some friends of his that basically lived off the land. I think they came from the hills of Arkansas. Our family came by way of Pennsylvania and West Virginia and I was raised on a small farm near Delta, Ohio. These folks listened to some different music than I had heard on CKLW. It was Country and Western! Hank Williams; Johnny Cash, Jimmy Rogers and Uncle Dave Macon on the record player. But then sometimes they would tune into this station late at night on the radio and you could hear Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs play Bluegrass! Later I figured out this was WSM out of Nashville, TN. They are still on the air today at 6:50 AM. They still come in best late at night here too.
Locally there were the square dances at the Ottokee Township Hall. Live music, where Uncle Joe was callin' the square dances and cousin Shelby Eicher was on the fiddle (he went on to play fiddle with Jimmy C Newman and Roy Clark). The fiddles would be playin’ the old time hoe-down tunes. The dancers would be do-si-doin’ and cloggin’ to the fiddle and banjo tunes! I think John Forrest played the guitar. Uncle Joe played the saw. Bill Kurfiss did some callin' too. The first time I ever saw and heard a banjo played live was there by Carlton Hamn. I can still hear him playing "The Beverly Hillbillies"!
So for me to be able to bring this great music to our listeners by radio locally and around the world now is a wonderful thing! Maybe someone will hear it and be inspired like I was or even more than I was. I hope they go on to be a great musician some day!”
~Jerry Eicher
