Jerry Adler

Hilliard Gerald Adler (October 30, 1918 – March 13, 2010) was an American harmonica player whose performances have been used in numerous film soundtracks. Adler was born in Baltimore, and early in his childhood mastered the harmonica, winning a local talent contest sponsored by the Baltimore Evening Sun at age 13. His older brother Larry Adler, four years his senior, had won the same contest five years earlier, performing the same piece, Beethoven's Minuet in G. Later, Adler found work with Paul Whiteman and performed regularly with his orchestra. After starting his solo career, he joined the Army Air Corps, where he did theater and film work in the entertainment division. Adler focused on popular music as his career developed, and he soloed in numerous film soundtracks from the 1940s to the 1960s, including Shane, High Noon, Mary Poppins, and My Fair Lady. He also taught actors how to pretend to play the instrument convincingly where their on-screen performances required. He published an autobiography, Living from Hand to Mouth, in 2005. Jerry Adler died of prostate cancer in 2010, aged 91.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 30, 1918 (Baltimore), Died March 13, 2010 (Ellenton)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1941 - 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: harmonica

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 56 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Columbia	HCO2593	10-in.	8/30/1947	Put me to bed	Johnny Bond	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2594	10-in.	8/30/1947	Sad, sad and blue	Johnny Bond	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2595	10-in.	8/30/1947	Women make a fool out of me	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2894	10-in.	December 1947	What would you do	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2895	10-in.	12/7/1947	Read it and weep	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2896	10-in.	12/7/1947	Bartender's blues	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2897	10-in.	12/7/1947	Drowning my sorrows	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2926	10-in.	12/10/1947	That's right	Johnny Bond	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO2928	10-in.	12/10/1947	John's other wife	Johnny Bond	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3494	10-in.	12/29/1948	Tennessee Saturday night	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3495	10-in.	12/29/1948	A heart full of love (for a handful of kisses)	Johnny Bond	Male vocal, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3496	10-in.	12/29/1948	Till the end of the world	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3655	10-in.	3/18/1949	I wish I had a nickel (for every tear you shed last night)	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3656	10-in.	3/18/1949	I'm bitin my fingernails, and thinking of you	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3657	10-in.	3/18/1949	Somebody loves you	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3659	10-in.	3/18/1949	Put me to bed #2	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3982	10-in.	12/30/1949	Cherokee waltz	Johnny Bond	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3983	10-in.	12/30/1949	Love song in 32 bars	Johnny Bond ; Red River Valley Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3984	10-in.	12/30/1949	Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabam'	Johnny Bond ; Red River Valley Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3985	10-in.	1/4/1950	I offer you my second hand heart	Hank and Frank	Male vocal duet, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3986	10-in.	1/4/1950	Cream of Kentucky	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3987	10-in.	1/4/1950	I'm kickin' the bucket over you	Hank and Frank	Male vocal duet, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO3988	10-in.	1/4/1950	Mean mama boogie	Johnny Bond ; Red River Valley Boys	String band, with male vocal solo	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	HCO4085	10-in.	6/8/1950	Star spangled waltz	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica
Columbia	RHCO4087	10-in.	6/8/1950	Barrel House Bessie	Johnny Bond	Male vocal solo, with string band	instrumentalist, harmonica

(Results 26-50 of 56 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Adler, Jerry," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/371446.

Adler, Jerry. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/371446.

"Adler, Jerry." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.