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Gerry was born in Beaumont, Texas on December 13, 1951 to Lloyd Mouton
and Freda Savant Mouton. Gerry began singing along with Elvis records when he was six years old and playing the guitar, at
age 12, after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Gerry's first paying gig was at The Gateway Skating Rink in Beaumont
with The Knights In Daze at the age of 13.The Knights In Daze were Coy Fuller on drums, Robert Garcia on guitar, Gabriel Valdez
on guitar and vocals, Mike Valdez on bass and vocals and Gerry on lead vocals.
Gerry jammin' on his first guitar, in 1957, on a family vacation to Mexico.
Gerry was then asked to join the existing group, Expressway. He had known several
members of Expressway for a long time. He knew Bert and Toby Castro from playing Little League baseball. Pat Hunt was a student
trainer on the South Park Greenie football team, of which Gerry was a member. Other members of Expressway were Bill Fullen
and Steve Williams. Expressway was the first group Gerry went on the road with. They played in Lawton, Ok. Lubbock, Belton
and Houston. Gerry eventually quit Expressway to continue his education and stay out of Viet Nam.
While Gerry was at Lamar University he participated in the Jazz Band, and formed
"Eli" with some of the members of the Jazz Band. Eli was made up of Jim Wiley on drums, Kenny Babb on keyboards, Johnny Serio
on guitar, Mike Smith on tenor sax, Dave Zwik on bari sax, David Taylor on bass, Richard Bravo and Gil Villavanuea on trumpets.
Eli was a nine-piece group that played soul and rhythm and blues music. They played most of their gigs "across the river”
in Louisiana, at a club called The Texas Pelican. The Pelican always had two bands with a rotating bandstand. The bands would
alternate playing every other hour from 8:00 p.m. till' 4:00 a.m.
In 1972, after Gerry was sure he wasn’t
going to get drafted, he formed a group with several members of Eli calling themselves 6 Easy Pieces.6 Easy Pieces were Johnny
Serio on guitar, Pat Hunt played piano, Kenny Babb on organ, Steve Williams on bass and Louie Broussard played drums. After
a successful gig at Texas A&M in College Station, Don Gomez (a booking agent) offered them a gig at the Village Inn Pizza
Parlor in Houston. While playing there they met Wayne Chaney who quickly offered them a gig.
| They were now known as Wayne Chaney and Mussel
Shoals. While Gerry was with Wayne they played Alexandria, La., Baton Rouge, Denver, Lubbock, Houston, Chicago, Des Moines,
Little Rock and more places than he can remember. He played with Wayne for about 9 months. Gerry soon realized he wanted to
be singing more than he was with two front men. So, Gerry quit playing with Wayne and his friends. |
In 1973, Gerry found himself back in Beaumont,
working at the local newspaper, with his good friend Bubba Busceme, during the day, and as a doorman at The Lighthouse, a
local disco at night. It was there Gerry ran into Billy Chesson and Tim Leblanc. He knew them from the Eli era. They talked
about starting a group. So, Gerry called Jim Wiley, who had just returned from working in Las Vegas. He then called Stewart
Rojo to play guitar, and The Funk Factory was formed. The Funk Factory formed at the perfect time, because the 18 year olds
were given the right to drink in the fall of 1973.
Richard Cantu was playing drums in a soft jazz gig at The
Redman's in Groves, Texas for J.B. Romero. J.B. wanted to cash in on the change in the 18-year-old drinking law. He wanted
a young pop group to work in his club. Richard brought J.B. to one of their rehearsals and he hired them on the spot. They
played at The Redman's 6 nights a week for about 4 months. The crowds were great, the girls were beautiful and the band was
hot.
After about 3 months into their gig at the Redman's, they had some personnel changes. The Funk Factory's
new line up was Jim Wiley on drums, Stewart Rojo on guitar, Greg Isaacs on piano and vocals, Gary Weldon on trumpet, Richard
Cantu on sax, Pat Zeringue on bass and Gerry as lead vocalist. |
J.B. Romero opened a new Redman's in Beaumont, Texas in the spring of 1974.
For his grand opening, he hired The Funk Factory, Whiskey River from Baton Rouge, and G.G. Shinn.
G.G. was a regional
star that had been in The Fabulous Boogie Kings, G.G. Shinn and the Roller Coasters. G.G. had just finished a world tour with
Chase (Let's Get It On). G.G. came back several weekends in a row and eventually asked the Funk Factory to work with him at
The Texas Pelican. After a band meeting with G.G. at his mom and dad's house in Beaumont, the band decided that they did not
want to be G.G.'s backup band. Gerry had pushed to work with G.G. because he was a major fan. The band elected Gerry to call
G.G. and tell him the news. When Gerry told G.G., he was disappointed, but immediately asked Gerry if he wanted to start a
group with him.
Gerry was now a member of G.G. Shinn and the T.S.C. Trucking Co. and he was now a guitar player
in a band for the first time since Expressway in 1971.
Gerry worked with G.G for 2 years. The band changed a lot in
those 2 years. Their original drummer Donny Wendt (went on to play with The Levee Band, Dr. John and Robert Palmer), Scott
Godeaux played guitar, Pat Zeringue played bass, Phil Chandler played keyboards and Gerry played rhythm guitar.
Gerry
eventually got some of my old road buddies in the band. Johnny Serio played guitar in the band for about a year. Kenny Babb
played keyboards with them for about a year and a half, Oran Guidry became their bass player and Herman "Rat" Brown was the
drummer for over a year and a half. After Johnny Serio left the band, Gerry became the only guitar player.
While
Gerry was with G.G., they played all over the country. Beaumont, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Little Rock, Panama
City, Nashville, Memphis, Louisville, Iowa City, Denver, Aspen, Monroe, Jackson, Biloxi, Ruston, Joplin and more places than
Gerry can remember.
In the summer of '76, Gerry became a Christian, and decided to quit the road
and go back to Beaumont and live. While he was living in Beaumont, Gerry was playing in a band with Stewart Rojo at The Foxy
Lady.
Jerry La Croix (Boogie Kings, Edgar Winter's White Trash, Blood Sweat and Tears and Rare Earth) called
from California and asked Gerry if he wanted to come out there and play in a group he was going to be putting together. Gerry
told Jerry, he was about to put a group together with Johnny Serio and Kenny Babb in Pensacola, Florida. Jerry said, "bring
them with you." So, they went to Modesto, California. Things didn't work out with the group and after a few weeks they found
themselves making the journey back to Texas.
Gerry began going to a Pentecostal Church in Beaumont and working as a carpenter's
helper, but after about a year of hard labor, he decided he better get his college degree.
In 1978, Gerry re-enrolled
at Lamar and eventually got his degree in 1980. While Gerry was going to Lamar he recorded a gospel album with David and the
Giants. (Gerry had heard them in 1975 at The J Club in Baton Rouge). In 1978 Gerry talked to them in Houston and ended up
recording an album at their studio in Laurel, Mississippi. The name of the album was A Little Bit Of Heaven. Keith Thibodeaux
(Little Ricky on the I Love Lucy Show) played the drums on his album. Gerry said,"It was a real thrill to work with him."
The
Beaumont Enterprise ran an article about the release of Gerry's album. Johnny Ray Green, a black minister and former high
school classmate, called to congradulate Gerry. Johnny Ray then invited Gerry to sing at the church he attended and to visit
the KJET radio station on Sunday morning.
When they arrived at KJET, an all black radio station, Gerry was asked to
do an on air interview. They played a couple of Gerry's songs and everybody seemed to like them. Gerry met a couple of promoters
who began booking him at different black churches in the area. Gerry recalls,"It was really a great experience. I would show
up at these shows with my guitar and amp, find a few musicians who would back me up, teach them my songs over in a corner,then
get up and sing.I met some really nice people and some great musicians during this era."
After graduating from Lamar University, Gerry taught science and coached football
and baseball one year at Stephen F. Austin in Port Acres, Texas. Teaching school was not what he expected, and after a year
of teaching, Gerry retired.
During the year that he taught, Gerry started going to a Monday Night Jam at Steak
and Ale. Six months after Gerry retired from teaching he was offered a job playing there. The group consisted of Brian Rushing
on keyboards, sax and vocals, Steve Ellis on bass and vocals and Gerry. After playing there six nights a week for a couple
of months, they added Roger Montgomery as their drummer. Gerry quit after playing six nights a week for six months.
Gerry
was then offered a gig with Scott McGill at the club in the Ridgewood Hotel. Scott is one of the finest guitar players you'll
ever hear, and a nice guy. Gerry played with Scott, Coy Fuller on drums, and Steve Ellis on bass. This band only stayed together
a couple of months, because Scott and Coy were offered a job in Houston.
Steve Ellis, Joe Licatino and Gerry
formed a trio and played at The Boulevard for about six months. Steve left to join Freestyle. They soon asked Gerry if he
wanted to join.
Gerry was now a member of Freestyle. Freestyle was made up of Steve Ellis on bass; Frankie Hare played
drums and sang, Keith Bowman on guitar and vocals, Berkley Manuel on keyboards and vocals and Gerry on guitar and vocals.
They played in Galveston, Houston and Beaumont for about six months before this band broke up.
After working for his Dad a couple of years, Gerry moved to Houston in 1984
to try teaching school again.
Gerry is still teaching and lives with his wife and daughter and their two Boston
Terriers. In the last few years Gerry has begun to perform again. He has jammed with his good friend Bubba Busceme since 1988.
They call ourselves Me and Bubba. They began playing at River Jams on the Sabine and Neches Rivers and eventually playing
clubs and private parties
Gerry has worked with The Toby Castro Band at various functions, and Jerry LaCroix
and the Blues Crewe on several occasions over the last few years. Gerry also plays gigs by himself with a sequencer.
In
the summer, 2000, Gerry played for his 30-year high school reunion. He hired G.G. Shinn and Jerry LaCroix to sing with him.
The band consisted of Bubba Busceme on bass, Bou'ger on drums, Gayle Sheffield and Buddy Hughes on harmonica and Gerry on
guitar and vocals. They had a great time and received great reviews. Gerry said,"It was one of the highlights of my career."
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