Jerry Sun info found!

Aloha Tiki centralites,

Does anybody on this list have any information on Jerry Sun or the Jerry Sun Four?

Specifically I need the names of the members of the Jerry Sun Four.

The Tacoma Library has pictures of Jerry, his wife Sally Ann as well as the Jerry Sun Four but they have no names to which to attach to the other members.

I've never ran into an artist that was so obscure that I couldn't track down anything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

[ Edited by: Jeff Central 2011-02-09 07:46 ]

Jeff, I haven't tracked down the other band members names yet but, today I saw a 45 on ebay from the hacienda in Las Vegas for 30 bucks featuring the jerry sun group. On the jackets back are a couple of new photos of jerry and sue ann. A friend who grew up in tacoma saw the four play at a coffeehouse in town and said that they were playing exotica music in the early 60's and possibly the late 50's also. Now the bad news, sue ann died from breast cancer fairly early in life and jerry is also reported to have passed away. Thats all for now but I do have other leads to follow. tikicoma

On 2011-01-15 02:28, tikicoma wrote:
Jeff, I haven't tracked down the other band members names yet but, today I saw a 45 on ebay from the hacienda in Las Vegas for 30 bucks featuring the jerry sun group. On the jackets back are a couple of new photos of jerry and sue ann. A friend who grew up in tacoma saw the four play at a coffeehouse in town and said that they were playing exotica music in the early 60's and possibly the late 50's also. Now the bad news, sue ann died from breast cancer fairly early in life and jerry is also reported to have passed away. Thats all for now but I do have other leads to follow. tikicoma

Thanks tikicoma!

I've got the '45 from the Hacienda. Las Vegas is apparently the last place Jerry took his show. This was a MUCH different act than the Exotica stuff in the 1960's. I also read about Sue Ann passing away in 1980. I hadn't heard about Jerry's passing. I also have the rare private pressing LP called The Exotic Sounds of Jerry Sun. Again, no info listed, nothing!!

If you come accross anything else please let me know.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Here's a few pics from the Tacoma Library................

Jerry and Sally Ann Sun

The Jerry Sun Four

The Jerry Sun Four with Sally Ann

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

The Jerry Sun Four

Hi Jeff:

My copy of The Exotic Jazz of Jerry Sun includes the promo photo of the Jerry Sun Four shown above. It has their names, hand-typed, across the top. From left to right the members are Dave Shumock, Jerry Sun, Duaine Park, and Tony Husk.

Hope this helps.

WOW!!!!!

You made my day! :) :) :) :) :)

Thanks so much Dan!! The pieces are starting to fall together.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

What great photos! Is the music as good as these stills? Love the fact they look so "Lounge" and then performed Exotica.

On 2011-01-18 08:51, bigbrotiki wrote:
What great photos! Is the music as good as these stills? Love the fact they look so "Lounge" and then performed Exotica.

The music is actually BETTER than these photos. Think of classic Exotica music complete with birdcalls and vibes and this will give you some idea of what their music sounds like. They were often compared to Arthur Lyman.

If all goes well, you will see something coming out very soon!! :)

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

I talked to Sally Ann's brother last week and he said that Sun is Jerry's real name not a stage name.

I also was told that the master tapes of "the exotic jazz of Jerry Sun" still exist and that the recording engineer who made them still has every master he ever recorded. Trouble is he's been difficult to contact and he may be in a nursing home at this time.

Now the big news, I found and bought five 7 inch and one 5 inch reels of tape of Jerry Sun's trio's to quintets that were recorded live at fort lewis and tacoma between 1961 and 1963! The 61 tape was a quintet of army musicians who, Jerry said, had all been pro's before being "called up" during the Berlin wall crisis. The only name I made out over the music was the bass player, Terry Hilliard, the bass player who was on Cal Tjader's soul sauce and soul bird lps! (These recordings are being made available for Jeff's use after I make digital copies.)

From the 2/27/72 tacoma newspaper, "Jerry is a tall, dark mixture of filipino, chinese, russian and german." "His oriental father in Salinas, Calif wanted him to be a lawyer. Jerry earned a BA degree at Pepperdine University. He had music on the mind and balked at a law career." "His 18 year old daughter by a former marriage is entering college in Las Vegas....near their desert home." " Sally Ann sings and does the hula, tahitian dances and specialty numbers." "Todays Jerry Sun Show stresses top 40 pop , a lot of dancing and choreography, a lot of costumes and mod sounds."

4/16/80 (obit) at the end ," Sally Ann was an administrative assistant at MGM hotel in Las Vegas and a member of the junior Women's League." It also mentions her "former husband" Jerry Sun.

So I guess this will give you tikiphiles in Salinas, Las Vegas near Pepperdine and San Francisco (Terry Hilliards home) something to work with, I'm really interested in hearing what his daughter could tell us!

I would like to thank Lemon Hart 151 and 80 proof, Rhum Barbancourt, Countreau and Meyers Dark for their help with this posting :)

On 2011-01-24 22:01, tikicoma wrote:

Now the big news, I found and bought five 7 inch and one 5 inch reels of tape of Jerry Sun's trio's to quintets that were recorded live at fort lewis and tacoma between 1961 and 1963!

Awesome - congrats! If you don't mind revealing, are the songs on the live tapes representative of Sun's Exotic Jazz LP? Any cool exotica originals in there?

dj, so far no original tiki music but a few more in the exotica vein, adventure in paradise, tiki, yellow bird, a very fast version of caravan, beyond the reef, flamingo and a night in tunisia plus a lot of vibe/piano driven jazz standards.

I reported earlier that I had heard that Jerry Sun had passed away... WRONG!!!
He was introducing the musicians at a pepperdine alumni event this last year. I contacted someone at pepperdine and he is forwarding my number and email to jerry to see if he would like to contact me (or jeff) so I'm crossing my fingers in hope.
aloha for now, tikicoma.

Got a phone call today from Jerry Sun, he told me that he is flattered by our interest in his music and that he recorded the tapes that I have.
He also gave me permission to give his phone number and email address to you, Jeff. He also told me that he played on a cut on an early Ventures album (a band also from tacoma).
I'll leave the interviewing to you Jeff, you know what to ask more than I do.
Now would like me to find Gene Rains for you? :D

A SUPER DUPER huge thank you to Tikicoma for locating Jerry Sun!!!

I talked to him today for a half hour and he was very enthusiastic about sharing his musical history and knowledge! He couldn't believe that people today were actually interested in Exotica Music!! He believes it now!!

Look for a Jerry Sun LP and a possible Jerry Sun article in Tiki Magazine soon!!! :)

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Look for a Jerry Sun LP and a possible Jerry Sun article in Tiki Magazine soon!!! :)

That's awesome news, Jeff. Into the world of private-press exotica!

Just found out that Jerry Sun bought a tape echo machine off Martin Denny so he could beef up the bird calls during their live performances!!

He was actually pretty good friends with Marty, Arty, Augie and Harold Chang!!

Here's a copy of Personally Yours by Jerry Sun. It was released on Kay Bee Records and engineered by famous Northwest recording engineer Kearney Barton!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

WOW! Cool developments!!

When will there be a feature about Jerry Sun in your magazine?

[ Edited by: Blender 2011-02-09 18:12 ]

On 2011-02-09 18:12, Blender wrote:
When will there be a feature about Jerry Sun in your magazine?

Not sure but hopefully soon (Summer or Fall issue). Thanks for the interest.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

I so love it when a shred of evidence for a never before known-of Tiki Temple gets discovered - and then family members appear and add information and material. But how often does that happen with an unknown Exotica artist !!? And all the way to finding the actual performer, and the recordings? Congrats to all involved !

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2011-02-12 02:13 ]

Here's a great picture that Jerry sent me..........

He's really excited about the Dionysus release of a new Jerry Sun record!

More details soon!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

The Exotic Sounds of Jerry Sun LP is almost here..........

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dionysus-Records/44481549150

I'm really stoked about this release. Vintage Exotica from 1962!!!!! :)

Stay tuned!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

That's great news...I'm eagerly awaiting it's release.

kevin

Can't wait! Jeff was Jerry seen this site? He might enjoy this photo from tacoma's library, another exotic addition,

aloha, tikicoma

Great photo Tikicoma, thanks!!

Yes, Jerry loves this site. He got a big kick when he read that he was dead! :lol:

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Here's the LP cover art...........

It will debut at Tiki Oasis 2011. If anyone is interested in pre-ordering please send me a pm. It includes a free gift too!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

My sister and I, as kids, used to watch the Jerry Sun Show from backstage at the Hacienda Hotel in Las Vegas during many family visits. Jerry would put chairs for us by the stage door and, at the age of about 12 to 14, I was watching a REAL Vegas lounge act from the wings! In addition to this photo, I have a couple of other items from Jerry that I will try to find and post. He was a PHENOMENAL vibes player and showman; a virtuoso, who really put on a great show. I remember some of the songs to this day and how good the band was. People like Jerry Sun are the reason I became a sound man, rather than doing something else. I can't wait to hear the new album! GREAT to find this information online -- I've been looking for a while and I always wondered over the years what had happened to Jerry. Good to see that a new audience is rediscovering his music!

[ Edited by: Hacienda Kid 2012-04-09 09:35 ]

Aloha Hacienda Kid,

Welcome to TC and thank you so much for posting about Jerry Sun. That's a great story about you hanging out backstage during Jerry Sun's performance in Las Vegas. If there is anyway you can scan that article and photo for me it would be greatly appreciated. My email address is [email protected] I would LOVE to read it.

Thanks for ordering a couple copies of the album too, you're gonna love it!

Please post anything Jerry Sun that you have. I'm hoping to put all this info into an article on Jerry.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

[ Edited by: Hacienda Kid 2012-04-09 09:34 ]

[ Edited by: Hacienda Kid 2012-04-09 08:57 ]

The Hacienda Kid in front of the Jerry Sun Show sign, Hacienda Hotel Las Vegas, 1970.

[ Edited by: Hacienda Kid 2011-08-06 19:53 ]

That pic is AWESOME!!!

Do you happen to have any pictures of the Hacienda Hotel?

Thanks for posting.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

[ Edited by: Jeff Central 2011-08-07 15:38 ]

The photo above is very cool! Thanks for sharing...

Jerry Sun's Las Vegas show!! :)

Actually, this looks like Jerry Sun's fantasy!!

[ Edited by: Jeff Central 2011-08-11 11:15 ]

The Jerry Sun LP is now currently available for pre-order from Dionysus Records!

It's pressed on RED vinyl too!!

http://www.dionysusrecords.com/shop/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=2861

Lee Joseph will also have these available at Tiki Oasis!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Here's a pic of the Hacienda Hotel.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Jeff -- great photos! Brings back a lot of memories. I really remember that hotel, the Chuckwagon Buffet (across from the stage door), and the go-cart track. I remember that the floor was an uneven tile (like slate) and the inside doors were glass near the casino. The walkway was curved and went to the wings of the hotel and to the casino. I'm looking to see what else the family might have, but it might be a week before I have a chance to go through the old photo albums.

Hacienda Kid

[ Edited by: Hacienda Kid 2012-04-09 09:36 ]

To follow up, my sister has a Jerry Sun 45 with 'Judy: First Lady of Gambling' as the A-side, and '21" T.V.' as the flipside. I'll borrow that the next time I see her and get a copy of that. I don't remember those songs offhand and I don't think they were part of the show (but I'd love to see the setlist from the Hacienda show). The one original that I remember is "Camp Winnemucca".

[ Edited by: Hacienda Kid 2012-04-09 09:38 ]

Thanks for all the great info Jack. I've got that Hacienda '45. I'll post a pic soon. It definitely has a Las Vegas sound but still interesting indeed.

I talked to Jerry and he definitely remembers you. I will pm you his contact info.

Records will be shipping soon. I'm waiting for lower numbers. All I got were high ones.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

I finally got down to the folks house and got our copy of this single, but I don't have a scanner here, so the best I can do are photos. You can probably upgrade the quality of these at some point. How cool is it that he remembers us all these years later? Thanks for letting me know!

All the Jerry Sun pre-order LP's with the "free" gift ship tomorrow!! :)

Thanks everyone!!!

Coming soon will be a Cocktail Nation radio show with Koop Kooper which will feature music from the LP as well as some unreleased stuff!! More details as they become available!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Mahalo Jeff! My copy arrived. I'm downloading the digital tracks now, and I'll be spinning up the vinyl later tonight. From the photos to the cover to the red vinyl, this is one sharp looking release. I can't wait to actually hear it now. :D

kevin

Cool, thanks Kevin!! :)

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Jeff, mahalo for my Jerry Sun package. It arrived last week. Since I don't currently have vinyl play capability, I downloaded the digital album and have been looping through it all weekend on the iPod Touch connected to my Bose Wave music system. What a mellow, exotic sound! Highest accolades to you, tikicoma, Dionysus Records and, of course, to Jerry Sun himself for making this accessible to us latter day tikiphiles!

-Tom

Not surprisingly, the record sounds as great as it looks. It's gone into heavy rotation in the home bar. :D

Mahalo,

kevin

These records should be arriving in Europe about now; mine arrived yesterday. Sweet! :)

The latest Cocktail Nation show by Koop Kooper features and interview with me talking about Jerry Sun!

Check it out here.....

http://cocktailnation.podbean.com/2011/09/17/cocktail-nation-188-who-is-jerry-sun/

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

KOOP!!!

Opening up with Joey Altruda - "Remembering Jobim!"

Thank you, thank you...THANK YOU!!!

Jeff, the Jerry Sun interview was awesome, buddy. Koop needs to have you on more often!!!