Jerry Marlon Beach

Jerry Marlon Beach Jerry Marlon Beach, 74, died Sunday, January 10, 2016 following a lengthy illness. Born in Oklahoma City on December 11, 1941, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army Air Corps, he was descended from pioneering families in Shelby County, Texas. The family was stationed in numerous locations during his childhood, and he spent his first two years of high school in London, England, where he learned to play guitar, before the family settled in Bossier City. Jerry graduated from Bossier High School in 1960, and briefly attended Northwestern State University, but by then he was already sitting in with local bands playing guitar and singing. By the mid-60s, he and Danny Harrelson were headlining local clubs as \"Danny & Jerry\". He was a fixture and favorite on the regional music scene for 56 years in several bands, including the \"Jerry Beach Band\" and \"Robin and the Bluebirds\". Until November, he dedicated every Monday night for 30 years to hosting a Blues Jam every week. He also taught guitar lessons for many years. He was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 1998, but his international fame resulted from his songwriting. In 1972, the late Albert King recorded Jerry's "I'll Play the Blues For You", which became a #1 R&B hit and has been covered by many artists. Jerry was nominated for a Grammy for the song. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest Marlon Beach and Loyce McDaniel Beach, two brothers, Earl Dewayne Beach and Kenneth Wayne Beach, and mother-in-law, Jettie Smith. He is survived by his daughter, Robin Beach Black; three grandsons, Ian Walsh, Cole Black and Cullen Black; former wife Sandra Smith Beach, all of Shreveport; and brothers Randal Beach of Dallas, TX and David Beach of Washington, D.C. A memorial service will be held at Rose-Neath, Marshall Street, at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, January 14, 2016. Interment of his ashes in the family plot at Lone Cedar Cemetery near Joaquin, Texas will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, January 15, 2016. The family will receive friends from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at the funeral home. The family suggests memorials may be made to Renzi Art Center, 445 Egan St. Shreveport, LA 71101.