Category Archives: Lifestyle

Nick Perri Discovers Storied Gretsch in his Own Family

Posted: April 11, 2011

Nick Perri, who now plays with Sinai and has worked with artists including Shinedown, Perry Farrell and Matt Sorum, recently uncovered a great Gretsch discovery in his own family.

The Gretsch guitar above still looks fairly new, but as Perri learned, it has quite the history. The guitar belonged to his uncle’s uncle, Jerold Daywalt, better known by his stage name of Jerry Kelly.

Back in the 1930s, Kelly was a session heavyweight, playing with the likes of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Patti Page and the likes. He also had his own band, The Kelly Bros.

As a musician and fellow Gretsch artist, Perri enjoyed combing through Kelly’s scrapbook, and has kindly shared a few of those photos with us.

Here’s Jerry Kelly with the Gretsch.

A letter to Jerry Kelly from WQDX.

Jerry Kelly with Bing Crosby, as well as a letter from Crosby.

It’s hard to make out, but Patti Page autographed this for Kelly, writing, “To Jerry, Best Always, Patti Page.”

Tags: gretsch, Jerold Daywalt, Jerry Kelly, Nick Perri
Posted In: Artists Blogs, Lifestyle | 2 Comments

Pontius Sports Gretsch Swag

Posted: April 5, 2011

In early March, the cast of Jackass 3D gathered at Paramount Studios for the Jackass 3D DVD release of their film. Jason “Wee Man” Acuna arrived at the event naked, while Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, and Ryan Dunn entered the red carpet through an outhouse. Chris Pontius took a much different route and simply sported his Gretsch swag. Thanks dude!

Tags: Chris Pontius, gretsch, Jackass 3D
Posted In: Artists Blogs, Lifestyle | Leave a comment

Mrs. G’s Music Foundation Hosted THA’s Got Talent

Posted: March 24, 2011

The Mrs. G’s Music Foundation, established by Gretsch Company CFO Dinah Gretsch, recently sponsored the THA’s Got Talent contest at Thomas Heyward Academy in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Held on March 15, the competition presented performances in vocal, dance, and variety by kindergarten through twelfth grade THA students.

On hand to serve as a celebrity judge was guitar prodigy and Gretsch artist Joe Robinson—winner of the 2008 edition of Australia’s Got Talent at the age of sixteen. Robinson has since gone on to perform around the world. Rounding out the panel of judges was master drummer and Gretsch artist Stephen Ferrone (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) and Felicia Lem, a local dance instructor and THA alumnus.

In addition to judging the contest, Joe Robinson and Stephen Ferrone performed together. They were joined by a battery of THA fifth and sixth graders playing percussion instruments.

Dinah Gretsch (who served as the host for THA’s Got Talent) established the Mrs. G’s Music Foundation in 2010. Since then, the organization has funded a variety of instructional music programs, as well as seminars, workshops, and concerts by visiting artists.

“I believe that music has the power to change children’s lives for the better,” said Dinah. “If we can reach young children with that power, we can set them on a positive path for the rest of their lives.”

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Posted In: Artists Blogs, Lifestyle | 1 Comment

Married to Rock Ad Features White Falcon

Posted: December 21, 2010

Married To Rock is a new reality series on E! that follows the four partners of rock stars Duff McKagan, Perry Farrell, Steve Stevens and Billy Duffy as they juggle life with their rockstar men and kids.

The show seems like an interesting look into the lifestyles of these rockers, and of course they are off to a good start by using a Gretsch White Falcon in their promotions. Aj Celi, Duffy’s girlfriend, poses above with her man’s axe. Watch below as the Cult guitarist talks about his Gretsch White Falcon guitars.

Tags: Aj Celi, Billy Duffy, Married to Rock, The Cult
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Steve Alba Finding New Ways to Shred

Posted: December 10, 2010

Belmar’s Bowl Bash, an exclusive 20^th anniversary celebration of Kelly Belmar’s popular Orange County skate bowl, went down over the Thanksgiving weekend.

According to pro skateboarder Steve Alba, Belmar helped save the sport back in 1990 when he built a pool in his backyard for skateboarding. Since there were really no skateparks or private facilities at the time, Belmar’s backyard skate pool became an Orange County standard.

Check out Alba’s blog on the anniversary bash, which also included Alba shredding on his Gretsch White Falcon.

Tags: Belmar Bash, Gretsch White Falcon, Steve Alba
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