February 26, 1955 to December 30, 2017
Jerry was born Gerald Adrian Woolsey in Lacombe, AB to Hub and Verna Woolsey. He very much enjoyed growing up in small-town Alberta and always did a back-alley tour of his boyhood haunts when visiting his parents and brothers.
He showed early talent as a singer and his parents encouraged him in his love, allowing him to leave school in 1972 to join the band, Tacoy Ryde as their lead singer. The group lived and worked in Regina and Saskatoon for a few months before moving to Edmonton, their permanent base. Their first recording, a reggae project, was never released. Their second, with the band renamed JATO, was produced to appeal to the pop market. Two videos and several songs garnered some airplay on radio and Much Music before the band re-formed as Tacoy Ryde.
Jerry left his band brothers in 1988 to work full-time as a recording engineer. He’d started out at Bumstead Records, then worked with Goede Creative and Beta Sound Recorders for several years before freelancing with Mike Lent’s 10th Street Studio, Blue Diamond Music, DanLyn Studios, Magic Music and more.
Jerry worked for over 45 years as a performing musician, session singer, engineer, producer and technician. He was a versatile vocalist in several styles, and years of playing flute, saxophone, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, timbales and drums equipped him well for recording. Known as one of the best and most patient of team players, Jerry was also a perfectionist, ensuring that every project was done to the highest quality and on time. He had extensive experience in engineering, editing, mixing and mastering for CD production, sound cutting, broadcast advertising and film and could fix anything. Jerry was always willing to share his skills and mentored many young recording engineers.
He recorded albums with over 200 clients including Tommy Banks and PJ Perry, Long John Baldry, Cindy Church, Maria Dunn, Valdi and Gary Fjellgaard, Kenny (Blues Boss) Wayne, Dave Babcock, The Plain Janes, Duke Robillard, Jay McShann, Jack Semple, Marshall Tully, Steve Pineo, Stewart MacDougall, Doug Cox, Dan Sinasac, The McDades, Brad Bayley, Laura Vinson and Free Spirit, Kelly Alanna, Crystal Plamondon, Vernon Thomson and Suzi Ragsdale, Stony Plain Records, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and so many more. Over the years, his work garnered clients countless nominations and awards including three Junos.
Jerry worked in film post-production sound for years with clients including the National Film Board of Canada, LucasArts Entertainment, Northstar Entertainment, Karvonen Films, People and Peaks Productions, Alliance Entertainment, Frame 30, Great North, Kicking Horse, and other companies.
Film and video productions have included Maria Dunn’s GWG Piece by Piece, Long Road Home, Wildie, Mountain Men, Mountain Mustang, Ancestors Calling, Women of Willmore Wilderness, Bye Bye Blues, Due South, The Diviners, The X Files, Jake and the Kid, Kung Fu – The Legend Continues, Lonesome Dove, Gang Aftermath, Alberta, A Centennial Forest History, Medicine River, Moccasin Flats, Blue Quills Acimowin, North of 60, Ordeal in the Arctic, The Outer Limits, Pigeons and Doves, and many more.
Jerry was a kind and loving husband and father. He is greatly missed by wife, Dawn; daughter, Adrianne; grand-daughter, Selina; sister-in-law, Laurie Nickerson; and nephew, Bryce. He is survived by his older siblings, Trevor (Fern) and Brian Woolsey and their families.
Jerry died on December 30, 2017 at the University of Alberta Hospital after a valiant two-year battle with cancer. A Celebration of his life will be held in the spring.
For the full obituary, please visit www.woolsey.ca