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Jerry has been involved with the Kauai Music Festival from the beginning. In 2003 and 2004, he was an attendee at the Festival. Then in 2004, he joined the KMF Board of Directors and became Vice-President. Beginning in September 2006, Jerry assumed the role of President & Executive Director. In his five+ years of involvement, he has seen and helped the Festival grow into a world-class event and has recruited a diverse and award-winning Board with such tremendous talent as John Cruz, Kenneth Makuakane, Bill Meyer, Charles Brotman, and others.
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Jerry received formal training on keyboards beginning at the age of seven. He formed his first rock band while in Junior High School and went on to play in various rock bands through High School and College. Jerry combined the disciplines of electronic engineering with music by earning a BSEE and music degree from Purdue University, and worked as a recording engineer at TRC studios in Indianapolis.
From 1975 through 2004, Jerry served in various executive management roles in high technology companies in "Silicon Valley" (San Jose, CA). During that period of time, he continued to pursue his interest in music by playing keyboards in various bands, by building a home studio, and by producing recordings for friends.
In 1994, he joined BMI and launched his own publishing company and project studio, Broken Gopher Music, producing his first solo instrumental CD, "Gopher Broke".
At the beginning of 2005, he left the high tech world and moved to Kauai to pursue full time what he has always loved best - music. He launched a record label and produced a commercially available CD titled "Kauai Live!" containing performances of Hawaiian favorites John Cruz, Sistah Robi Kahakalau, The Barefoot Natives, and Grammy winner Charles Brotman with his slack key group Kohala.
In addition to being President & Executive Director of the Kaua'i Music Festival, Jerry is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, a member of the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, and a Board Member of the Garden Island Arts Council.
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