From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Wed Mar 5, 2003  4:07 pm
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Jerry Naylor
 
JERRY NAYLOR

Born Jerry Naylor Jackson, 6 March 1939, Chalk Mountain, Erath
County, Texas

Jerry Naylor was the lead singer of the Crickets from 1960 until 1965.
He had a dual career in music and broadcasting, starting out as a teenage
disc jockey on the popular San Angelo KPEP country music radio station. 
In 1957, Jerry was a founding member of the San Angelo based group the
Cavaliers, who went on to have a # 2 pop hit in 1964 (as J. Frank Wilson 
and the Cavaliers) with the death song "Last Kiss".

In 1960, Jerry was approached by Jerry Allison to join the Crickets as a
replacement for lead singer Earl Sinks. With Naylor as lead singer, the
Crickets had several hit records in the UK, on Liberty, including the Carole
King penned "Don't Ever Change" (# 5 in 1962) and the Sonny Curtis 
composition "My Little Girl". The LP "Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets" went
to # 42 on the US album charts. Jerry and the Crickets appeared in the 1962
British movie "Just For Fun" and, with the Beach Boys and Lesley Gore, in 
the 1964 Paramount Pictures beach movie "Girls on the Beach". 

In 1965 Jerry left the Crickets because of heart problems ; his replacement
was Buzz Cason (aka Gary Miles, who had a # 16 hit in 1960 with "Look For
A Star") from Brenda Lee's backing group. 

Naylor continued with his radio work and had an award-winning series in the
early seventies, called "Continental Country". He released several records 
under the name "Jackie Garrard", charting with "But For Love" on Columbia
Records in 1970 (# 42 in Cash Box, # 5 Billboard Easy Listening chart). 
He then moved to country music and in 1975 he recorded "Is This All There
Is To A Honky Tonk" (under his own name) that went to # 27 on Billboard's
country charts. From 1975 to 1986 Jerry would have a total of 7 more songs
that would ease into the top 100. 

Recently he recorded a new CD, a rockabilly tribute. See:
http://www.rockabillyhall.com/JerryNaylorCD.html
More info: http://www.rockabillyhall.com/JerryNaylor.html