Fred Gerlach (August 26, 1925 – December 31, 2009) was an American folk musician and luthier. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page credited his recording of the traditional song "Gallows Pole" with inspiring his own band's version.
Fred was born of immigrant Yugoslav parents in Detroit in 1925. He fought in Germany and the Philippines as a GI and was point man for a tank battalion. Most of those guys died doing their job, advance scouts searching for anti-tank bombs. He was profoundly shaped by that experience. After the war he settled in New York City's civilian life as a top-flight draftsman . . and a boogie-woogie and blues pianist, with a powerful left hand rolling out the bass runs.. Caught up in the vast post-war revival of interest in American folk music, Fred heard somewhere the sound of a 12-stringer and, like Leadbelly almost four decades before him, gave up everything else to master the instrument. He knew Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly and they would stay with him from time to time. He hung out with Cisco Houston, Guy Carawan and Tiny Ledbetter (Leadbelly's niece) also.
A 12-string guitar is hard to come by, wrote Fred Gerlach: "I went into one of the largest musical instrument stores in the country, and the manager assured me that no such instrument existed. On another occasion a maker of fine 12-string lutes (nylon strings) pictured for me a nightmare of explosive force required to hold twelve steel strings in proper tension. He envisioned bits of guitar and guitarist flying asunder. I have combed New York City pawnshops and music stores and have received a variety of comments ranging' from 'Sorry, we're out of them now. Won't a six-string guitar do? to 'Have you got rocks in your head, buddy?' In fact, it took me about a year after I had first decided to play a twelve-string before I found one. It wasn't a concentrated search, but it nevertheless indicates the general unavailability of the instrument."
In the early 1950s he sang in the Jewish Young Folksingers chorus conducted by Bob Decormier, Peter Paul and Mary's musical arranger and director. Mary Travers sang in the chorus too, and so did all the members of the folk group The Harvesters. Gerlach drifted out to California in the late 50's, played San Diego coffee houses in those early days and eventually settled there.
Here’s “Gallows
Pole” from above LP.
With a respect bordering on reverence, he carried on the rich, full traditon of Leadbelly, whilst adding new technical dimensions to the instrument. A friend of fellow folk musicians Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Fred’s first album was even called Twelve-String Guitar, released in 1962 on Folkways records. There are some notes to say it was recorded in 1958. Gerlach says on the back of this album (Songs My Mother never Sang) from 1968, "Seventeen years ago I recorded an album called Gallows Pole. This is my first album since that time". That would make his first album 1951.
Its flagship song, "Gallows Pole", was heard and covered by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, saying: “I first heard it ('Gallows Pole') on an old Folkways LP by Fred Gerlach, a 12-string player who was, I believe, the first white to play the instrument. I used his version as a basis and completely changed the arrangement.” In the late 50's & early 60's Fred wandered out to San Diego and played in a few of those old San Diego coffee houses like The Upper Cellar or Circe's Cup. He'll be at The Adams Ave Street Fair on the Felton (Acoustic) Stage on Saturday at 2 p.m."
Because of the difficulty in finding 12 string guitars, Gerlach began to make his own, for himself and his peers. Pete Seeger, Leo Kottke, Dick Rosmini, and other name-brand folk musicians came to use his instruments. Once when he was in San Diego He walked into a Music Store and saw a guitar he had made on the wall with a $10,000 price. When he asked why it was so expensive, the owner said “This is an original Gerlach! He’s dead.” Fred said “Oh!” and left. Subsequently Gerlach entertained himself by building an airplane in his attic and sailing on an old German sailboat.. He would fly down to Central America to search for and buy the wood he used for his guitars. He was also known as "the" source for Brazilian rosewood for many years.
He appeared on
Bob Baxter’s television show, “Guitar Workshop” in 1975. He was also in high demand
as an (legal) ivory gun grip maker. He was a semi regular at the Adams Avenue
Roots and Folk Festival in San Diego in the 80s.
Fred died at the Chase Health Care Center in San Diego, California after a long illness on December 31, 2009.
(Edited from Wikipedia, Stefan Wirz & Franklycollectable)