Gerard Donald "Jerry" Byrne (February 2, 1941 – April 7, 2010) was an American rock and roll singer from New Orleans, best known for his 1958 single "Lights Out".
The son of Charles and Mayme Byrne,[1] he was born and raised in the Irish quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, and, like his cousin Mac Rebennack (later known as Dr. John), became strongly influenced by African-American rhythm and blues.
[2] In February 1958, Byrne recorded the song "Lights Out" – a "blistering rocker"[2] written by Rebennack with his friend Seth David – at Cosimo Matassa's studio, with a band that included Edgar Blanchard (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), Art Neville (piano), and Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums).
[3] Released on the Specialty label, the record became a regional hit but failed to make the national charts.
In 1960, he, Rebennack and Ford joined forces with Huey "Piano" Smith, collectively credited for contractual reasons as the Cheerleaders, to record "Chinese Bandits", in support of the local football team.