In my quest to find late-blooming creatives, I often run across people who start early and just keep going. They’re not really late bloomers, but they’re just as inspirational.
Recently I discovered jazz drummer Jerrie Thill (1917-2010). She’s iconic here in Los Angeles, where she performed every Sunday at a local restaurant right into her 90s.
Born in Iowa in 1917, Jerrie began beating the skins at age 16. By 18, she earned a living performing in speakeasies. From 1935 to 1938, she led an all-female, eight-piece swing band on the vaudeville circuit.
In 1945, Jerrie moved to Los Angeles in her ’38 Dodge Coupe. She graced The Flamingo Nightclub as its house drummer for seven years. In 1974, Jerrie joined Peggy Gilbert’s Dixie Bells (a group of female musicians over 60) and entered the TV age. During her two decades with the band, Jerrie appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Golden Girls, and many more.
In 1984, Jerrie began playing Sunday brunch at El Cid Mexican Restaurant in Los Angeles, where she held court for another quarter decade. She passed away in 2010 at age 93, perhaps the last of a remarkable generation of female jazz musicians.
A Fabulous Music Video Tribute to Jerrie Thill
The music video “Hey Jerrie” (below) tells Jerrie Thill’s extraordinary life story in song and photo clips. Allee Willis (who wrote the Friends theme and my favorite Earth, Wind & Fire song) made it a year before Jerrie passed.
It’ll have you grinning from ear to ear!
And if you enjoyed Jerrie Thill’s story, you’ll love reading about heavy metal grandma, Inge Ginsberg.