Charlie Byrd

Charlie Byrd began playing the guitar at an early age under the guidance of his father. In his teens he was playing plectrum guitar with local groups in Virginia and Washington. After the war he settled in New York where he played with local jazz groups.

In 1954 he went to Italy to study with Andres Segovia. It was shortly after that trip that he formed a jazz trio for the first time and began performing in local clubs. His instrument of choice for his trio was the concert guitar. In the trio format Byrd’s found the perfect form for mixing his love of jazz and blues with classical music. The orientation of the music for the trio was jazz, but jazz infused with classical technique and sound.

Charlie Byrd continued to evolve, and did some exceptional recordings with Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis as “The Great Guitars,” often employing a rhythm section which featured his brother, Joe Byrd, on bass, and drummer Chuck Redd.

Charlie Byrd died of lung cancer on December 2, 1999 at his home in Annapolis, Maryland.

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