Travel Local: Wayne Jerrolds River Park

I’m here in downtown Savannah, Tennessee a place known for its catfish and its music and after talking to many people, one name continues to come up. Wayne Jerrolds.

Through a journey of late night fiddling competitions, songwriting, movie appearances… and even inventing Wayne Jerrolds has become a well known musician.

“There at Lexington High School in the auditorium to 2 o'clock in the morning battling it out. Had 17 years of it, I had 13 and 2nd the other times", says Jerrolds.

At the age of 10 he wanted to be apart of his school band. After years of trying to come up with money to afford an instrument his mom bought his first fiddle at the age of 16.

Jerrolds adds, "later she did buy me a fiddle, paid 15 dollars for it and it is still a good fiddle today and I was 16 years old then.”

Jerrolds explained to me that many local legends like Waldo Davis, RD Smith, and Hardin Qualls taught him most of what he knows.

“We had some pretty good teachers, I learned what they knew pretty much. Then I would have to go to Memphis and much shows in Nashville to find advanced music", says Jerrolds.

At only 19, a few years after he started fiddling he won his first championship.

Over the years Jerrolds has perfected his sound with many bands and his invention of combining a mandolin and a fiddle into one instrument.

Jerrolds continues to add to the community of Savannah. 42 years ago he started an annual Blue Grass Festival and even worked with the city to open a park near the river.

If you want to hear more about of Wayne Jerrolds' music. Tune in to NBC 39 Saturday mornings, for his show Songs of Yesterday. Imani Williams, for 39 News, in Savannah.