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lub located in her hometown of Bay St. .ouis. The specialty of the house and the irst item on the menu is?you guessed it? 4elva?s Gumbo.
Surveying the neighborhood-style estaurant on a weekday afternoon, there s little to suggest that less than two decades ago the owner was a major presence on the popular-music horizon. The billboard in front reads simply, ?Jerry Fisher Fri &. Sat.? Inside, even in the light of day, you might miss the 14? x 21? montage of a tall, lean and youthful performer sporting blue jeans, a beard and a shock of light, wavy hair cascading over his shoulders and down his back. A modest, almost cryptic cipher is etched in the top right-hand corner of the matting??Jerry Fisher BS&.T.? At night, in the subdued club lighting, you?re almost certain to overlook this one, discreet tribute to a stellar singing career. That is, unless, having foolishly arrived moments before showtime, you end up leaning against the picture frame, happy to have such a choice spot in a ?standing room only? crowd.
As Fish passes purposefully through the throng of friends and fans, he smiles, nods and acknowledges. The trademark strawberry blonde hair, now cropped conservatively enough to suit a CPA, is softened by gray highlights. On some nights, he wears the familiar blue jeans, a size or two larger now to accommodate the ?one or two? extra pounds which pay tribute to the good food and laid-back pace of Coast living. As he steps to the stage, the lenses of his wireframe glasses sparkle with reflections from the footlights, and a hush of anticipation blankets the audience.
A newcomer to the long-time favorite Coast night spot expecting to witness the typical ?local talent? is in for a virtuoso surprise. ?Hey, who is this guy anyway?? If you didn?t already know, you?re not likely to hear it from Fish himself. Although his repertoire still includes a few BS&.T classics like ?God Bless the Child,? ?You Make Me So Very Happy? and ?So Long Dixie,? he never alludes to his celebrity with the famous band onstage, and he sings the familiar ?Spinning Wheel,? a BS&.T chart-topper made famous by Fish?s volatile
?It?s natural for any musician to want people to like his music.
I was more concerned, about being good than being famous.?
-Jerry Fisher
predecessor?David Clayton-Thomas?only when fans beg. ?I just don?t care for the song? Jerry confesses.
In fact, even when questioned about his jet-setting life as a rock star, he is politely responsive but hardly boastful. Clippings from his years of considerable prominence in the popular music arena, indeed of his entire musical career beginning at age four, come yellowed, crumpled and thrust unceremoniously into a tattered manila envelope. The two dozen color slides chronicling the BS&T era are loose, unlabeled. Fame, it seems, is now a closed chapter in Fish?s life, remembered fondly but not mourned.
Chance, coincidence, kismet?call it what you will?happenstance has played a leading role in the Jerry Fisher story. In fact, Jerry admits he?s ?not much on planning too far ahead.? It?s easy to see why. Flying in the face of the road-to-riches formulas advocating carefully conceived, long-term strategies, Fish is proof that talent, hard work and fortuitous coincidence, (coupled with an impervious disregard for the ironclad agenda), can lead to success and happiness. Take Jerry?s adult debut as a singer with a small-town band at the age of 19. The sax player, who doubled
as lead singer, failed to show up for a gig
?I was the piano player,? he recalls, ?but we were in a fix and didn?t want to lose the booking so somebody in the group said, ?Can anybody here sing?? I heard myself say, ?Well, I know a few tunes.? I sang that night and, after that, the sax player didn?t.? Jerry chuckles and adds, ?He was just as glad, though,? referring to the truant saxophonist. ?He was a good sax player but an awful singer.?
After years of performing the nightclub circuits in Las Vegas, Tahoe, parts of his native Oklahoma and Texas, Fish the singer had a sizable following and was recognized in the rhythm-and-blues community as an indefatigable performer with the rich vocal power and versatility of a Ray Charles. One Tbcas music critic called Jerry ?probably the greatest white blues singer in the business.? Even so, while Fish had cut a few son^ which were given some air play, none had taken off. Waiting for the big break, he studied and emulated those he thought had true musical genius.
?It?s natural for any musician to want people to like his music, to hope for that big hit, but my musical influences?T-Bone Walker, B.B. King Lightnin? Hopkins?few of them were what you?d call mainstream. I guess I was more concerned about being good than about being famous.?
But anonymity was not his lot in life. Gearing up to launch a solo singing career, Fish bumped into the big time. His prodigious talent did the rest. He was recording singles in New York with New Design, a subsidiary of Columbia Records, which was?just by chance?the BS&T label. By coincidence, as well, David Clayton-Thomas, then lead singer for BS&T, had the itch to go solo, and his timely departure opened the door of opportunity for Jerry Fisher. Fish?s newly-tracked recording sessions were brought to the attention of the singerless BS&T troupe, and he was summoned to New 'fork for a jam session. He was contracted almost immediately, thus beginning a four-year career which yielded three albums, four European tours and a flurry of concerts? frequently as many as four or five a week.
The BS&T sound was bold and brassy,