Jerry Byrne

New Orleans rockabilly cat Jerry Byrne was born in the Crescent City in 1940 -- though raised in the town's Irish quarter, he nevertheless gravitated toward African-American music, and as a teen sang in area juke joints and strip clubs with the Loafers, a rock & roll band led by his cousin Mac Rebennack, the future Dr. John. (According to legend, Rebennack played guitar with the Loafers until a performance that culminated in a patron shooting up the nightclub -- a stray bullet claimed the tips of Rebennack's fingers, forcing his ultimately fortuitous move to the piano.) In 195...