Jerry Jaye (1937–)

Jerry Jaye overcame the poverty of growing up in a sharecropping family in the Mississippi Delta to launch a performing career that saw his induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Jerry Jaye was born Jearl Junior Hatley in Manila (Mississippi County) on October 19, 1937, to Elzie Hatley and Vela Green Hatley. (Many sources misspell his first name as Gerald.) His parents divorced when he was six months old and his brother Kenneth was three. They lived with his maternal grandparents, Walter and Allie Green, until his mother married a few years later.

Hatley was the son and grandson of farmers who grew up in the cotton fields of northeastern Arkansas. He had watched his grandfather age before his time eking out an existence in the rich soil of the Delta, where only the landowners ever saw a profit from farming. Hatley saw a chance to get away by joining the U.S. Navy in 1954 at seventeen years old.

Prior to joining the navy, Hatley sang in area clubs at night after the backbreaking work in the fields by day. Club owners were not too concerned that he was underage; they liked his mixture of blues and hillbilly music, which brought the crowds into their clubs. After four years in the navy, Hatley returned home and started a band with two local high school musicians, Tommy Baker and Carlos Frye. Hatley sang and played guitar, while Baker played bass and Frye played drums. The three-man band was popular with area crowds.

They were encouraged by disc jockey Joe Thompson to cut a record to sell at their concerts and to pay him to promote their music. Hatley adopted the name Jerry Jaye to fit his new persona. In late 1966, the trio drove to Roland’s Sonic Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, and, for $13, they recorded covers of “Five Miles From Home” and “Hello Josephine.”

“Hello Josephine” was a hit that earned Jaye a contract with Hi Records. The song was reissued in early 1967 under the original name, “My Girl Josephine.” The record reached No. 29 on the Hit Parade, the list of the most popular tunes determined by radio station air play or sales. After the success of the record, Jerry Jaye and the Jaywalkers, as the group was then known, went on tour with Booker T. and the M.G.’s, Lou Rawls, Lou Christie, and Spanky and Our Gang. During the tour, Jaye played in front of crowds ten times the size of the ones at home. After a grueling tour schedule, he signed a recording contract with the Mega/Raintree group in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jaye broke into the top thirty on the country charts in 1976 with “Honky Tonk Women Love Redneck Men.” By the mid-1970s, Jaye was the vocalist for the Bill Black Combo and toured with Ace Cannon for a short time. He continued to release albums for Lyn-Lou Records until 2005.

Knowing first-hand the financial challenges faced by his friends and family, Jaye often raised money for various causes including the Manila Fire Department and the Manila school system throughout his career. In 2010, Jaye joined other musicians with Manila ties to perform at a benefit show to raise money for city projects.

For additional information:
Blaylock, Revis. “Homecoming Music Show Draws Crowd.” Northeast Arkansas Town Courier, November 23, 2010, p. 1.

Tipton, Jack. “Come One! Come All! To Jerry Jaye’s Personal Appearance.” Town and Country [Manila, Arkansas], October 23, 1972, p. 3.

———. “Jerry Jaye and the Jaywalkers Perform at MHS.” Town and Country, September 19, 1970, p. 2.

Wilkinson, Tony. “Rockin’ Jerry Jaye.” Now Dig This [Tyne and Wear, England], November 1995, pp. 5–7.