Albums

“Observing the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has always been one of the most sacred of all traditions.  Passed down through generations, we have celebrated with our children and now our grandchildren.  This Christmas season, we celebrate with you by sharing this new collection of original music and a few of our family favorites.   From daughter Maggie “Magnolia” Williams and grandchildren Avery Lane Gross, Jude Micheal Finley, Chandler Kate Gross, and Lyla Jo Finley, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and may God’s light shine upon you and his love abide in you.” – Jerry Salley and Family, Christmas 2021

Song List:
Hay Baby
(Jerry Salley/James I. Elliott)
I Don’t Wanna Rush This Christmas
(Jerry Salley/John Berry/Alex Dooley)
Christmas Hymn Medley
(Arranged by Jerry Salley)
The Night Heaven Kissed Earth – Featuring Magnolia Williams
(Jerry Salley/C. Aaron Wilburn)
Santa’s Sleigh Is A Chevrolet
(Jerry Salley/Alex Dooley)
What Wise Men Believe
(Jerry Salley/Jeffrey East)
All Wrapped Up In You This Christmas
(Jerry Salley/Rod McCormack/Gina Jeffreys)
The Same Old Story
(Jerry Salley/James I. Elliott/C. Aaron Wilburn)
Frosty The Snowman/Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
(Walter “Jack” Rollins/Steve Nelson)(Johnny Marks)
Morning In Bethlehem
(Jerry Salley/Donna Ulisse)
Silent Night
(Joseph Mohr/Franz Gruber)

Salley has been joined by some of the best Bluegrass writers and artists in the business, such as Grand Ole Opry member Rhonda Vincent on the beautiful duet, “Waltz Through The Ages With Me,” long-time friends Carl Jackson and Larry Cordle on the first single, “Let Me Be The Bridge,” and the Salley/Cordle co-write, “How I Want To Be Remembered,” a deeply introspective look at what’s important in one’s life.  Donna Ulisse sings harmony on the new Salley/Ulisse tune, “Be Better To Your Neighbor” (a phrase routinely used and made famous by country music legend Ernest Tubb).  The Lonesome River Bands’ Brandon Rickman offers his vocal on “I Take The Backroads,” a song he and Salley co-wrote together years ago.  Additionally, the angelic voices of Val Storey and Jerry’s daughter, Maggie Williams (who has become a staple on all of his albums), shine brightly on this 12-song collection of Salley originals.  Once again, the 2018 & 2019 IBMA Songwriter of the Year offers an assortment of some of his favorite songs put together with thoughtful lyrics and powerful melodies.

The first single from the album, “Let Me Be The Bridge” (a song nearly 30 years old) was the very first collaboration between Salley and long-time mentor and friend Jim Rushing.  Rushing, already a very successful writer when Salley moved to Nashville in 1982,  was revered by Salley and the opportunity to co-write with him was a memorable day for a young Jerry. That day – and that song – started a bond of brotherhood that continues to this day. Salley and Rushing also co-wrote the Salley/Vincent duet “Waltz Through The Ages”,  about a couple who has found the kind of love that we all dream of finding – “You and me heart to heart, where ever we are, we’re dancing the dance of our dreams.”

As always, Jerry has included a new gospel song, “Without Forgiveness” (Salley/Wood), and the aforementioned semi-sacred number “Be Better To Your Neighbor”.  The final song on the project, “Life To My Days” (Salley/Black/McGlamery), has been a popular tune at Jerry’s concerts and is a song Salley co-wrote for the legendary Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver that became a #1 Bluegrass hit for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame member.

From the opening hard-driving “I Miss My Miss In Mississippi” (Salley/Wilburn), to the haunting “A Memory Like Mine” (Salley/McBride) and the hand-clapping progressive “Hillbilly Lilly” (Salley/Cooper), this new project showcases Jerry’s smooth tenor voice and is full of masterfully crafted songs that once again prove why Jerry Salley is one of the most successful songwriters in the Bluegrass, Country and Gospel genres.

Released on July 31, 2020.

Song List:
I Miss My Miss In Mississippi
(Jerry Salley/C. Aaron Wilburn)
Let Me Be The Bridge
(Jerry Salley/Jim Rushing)
I Take The Backroads
(Jerry Salley/Brandon Rickman)
Waltz Through The Ages featuring Rhonda Vincent
(Jerry Salley/Jim Rushing)
You Can’t Hear A Heart Break
(Jerry Salley/Ernie Rowell)
How I Want To Be Remembered
(Jerry Salley/Larry Cordle)
A Memory Like Mine
(Jerry Salley/Jim McBride/Jimmy Richey)
Be Better To Your Neighbor
(Jerry Salley/Donna Ulisse)
Dyin’ To Hold Her Again
(Jerry Salley/Joanie Keller Johnson)
Hillbilly Lilly
(Jerry Salley/Ben Cooper)
Without Forgiveness
(Jerry Salley/Tony Wood)
Life To My Days
(Jerry Salley/Lee Black/Devin McGlamery)

Jerry Salley, the 2018 & 2019 IBMA Songwriter of the Year, releases his 5th solo album – the new Bluegrass Gospel recording, All God’s Children Sing – packed with 12 of the finest Gospel songs Jerry has ever written.

From the brand new, toe-tapping title cut, “All God’s Children Sing,” a song about an older church member who loves to “make a joyful noise” while crooning his favorite hymns off pitch, to the deeply emotional ballads, “In The Hands Of A Carpenter” and “Getting Ready For A Baby,” Jerry once again displays his ability to tell a story by painting pictures with well-crafted lyrics and memorable melodies.  The new project showcases a few previously released recordings including, “John In The Jordan,” with special friends The Oak Ridge Boys, and “That’s All That Matters To Me,” featuring Jerry’s two youngest daughters, Maggie & Whitney on the song’s intro, and the award winning Isaacs, who had the original hit on the song in 1997.

The first single, “Call Me Old Fashioned,” is an audience favorite when performed by Salley in concert.  Although written as a secular song and not intended to be a Gospel composition, the sentiment of the lyrics, yearning for a simpler time, is a reflection of Jerry’s personal feelings and certainly sits well on a bluegrass Gospel album.

Every song on this new recording will touch someone, which is always Jerry Salley’s purpose every time he sits down to write a song.

Song List:
All God’s Children Sing
(Jerry Salley/Bo Spring/Lauren Spring)
The Broken Ones
(Jerry Salley/JB Rudd/Vip Vipperman)
Call Me Old Fashioned
(Jerry Salley/Dave Turnbull)
John In The Jordan
(Jerry Salley/Rusty Golden)
That’s All That Matters To Me
(Jerry Salley/Dee Gaskin)
God Did It
(Jerry Salley/Greg Day)
In The Hands Of A Carpenter
(Jerry Salley/Lee Black)
The Son In Your Eyes
(Jerry Salley/Dustin Benson)
His Record Is On High
(Jerry Salley/Larry Cordle)
Pullin A Heavy Load
(Jerry Salley/Donna Ulisse)
Getting Ready For A Baby
(Jerry Salley/Sue C. Smith/Lee Black)
It’ll Get You Where You’re Going
(Jerry Salley/Kelley Lovelace)

Jerry Salley, one of music row’s greatest veteran tunesmiths, marked his 35th year in the Nashville music business with his 4th solo album, Front Porch Philosophy. The 12 track album, filled with brand new songs, was co-written by Salley and some of the best bluegrass writers/artists in the business such as Carl Jackson, Donna Ulisse, Irene Kelley, Tammy Roger-King, Cody Farrar and other amazingly talented writers. Salley once again showed his ability to put songs together with thoughtful lyrics and powerful melodies.

The first single from the album, “The Night Flatt & Scruggs Played Carnegie Hall”, tells the story of the day Jerry’s dad brought home the Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall album – a memorable day for young Jerry and an historic event for bluegrass music. Playing the banjo on the track is special guest and co-writer Carl Jackson. To pay homage to his long time buddy, Jerry wrote the song “If I Could Play Guitar Like Carl Jackson”, a true-to-life story that will keep you laughing all of the way through!

The title cut, “Front Porch Philosophy” (Salley/Bill Whyte), takes you back to the days when the front porch was the gathering place for the family to listen to dad, “Everybody and the dog would listen every time he started to speak”. “Nothing Here But Home” (Salley/ Rebecca Lynn Howard/Eli Hoffman), one of the few ballads on the album, distinctly describes the story of a small town that has been disserted due to the loss of industry jobs. As Jerry has done on each of his past projects, he included two gospel songs on this album, “Pullin’ A Heavy Load” (Salley/Donna Ulisse) and “The Son In Your Eyes” (Salley/Dustin Benson). In a true songwriter’s fashion, Salley penned “Thin Blue Line” (Salley/Irene Kelley) , “Things People Say On Planes “ (Salley/Tammy Rogers King), and “There’s Not Always Next Year” (Salley/James Robert Webb). Each with story lines not typically found in bluegrass, they add a wonderful freshness to Front Porch Philosophy!

Song List:
The Night Flatt & Scruggs Played Carnegie Hall
(Jerry Salley/Carl Jackson)
Nothing Here But Home
(Jerry Salley/Rebecca Lynn Howard/Eli Hoffman)
Front Porch Philosophy
(Jerry Salley/Bill Whyte)
Pullin’ A Heavy Load
(Jerry Salley/Donna Ulisse)
Thin Blue Line
(Jerry Salley/Irene Kelley)
Things People Say On Planes
(Jerry Salley/Tammy Rogers King)
A New Spin On An Old Heartache
(Jerry Salley/Alex Dooley)
There’s Not Always Next Year
(Jerry Salley/James Robert Webb)
A Guitar For A Gun
(Jerry Salley/Cody Farrar)
If I Could Play Guitar Like Carl Jackson
(Jerry Salley)
The Son In Your Eyes
(Jerry Salley/Dustin Benson)
Leavin’ Lonely
(Jerry Salley/Daniel Kleindienst)

Showing his bluegrass roots, and with his five-year-old granddaughter gracing the cover, “Gospel From My Grassroots” (released October 2015) is Jerry’s first all bluegrass gospel album. It shines with 13 original, heartfelt tunes that range from the energetic, up-tempo song “How High Is That Mountain,” to the brand new finger-snapping acappella song, “Just Drink The Water.” Jerry breathes new life into these self-penned songs, most of which have been previously recorded by bluegrass and gospel greats. Guest vocalist Steven Curtis Chapman sings with Jerry on an acoustic, stripped-down translation of their co-written gospel classic, “His Strength Is Perfect,” and IBMA Female Vocalist Of The Year, Dale Ann Bradley, lends her warm angelic voice to “Send The Angels Down,” a song that she previously recorded. The project also includes Jerry’s original versions of “It’s Not What You Know” and “You Don’t Have To Go Home,” which have been recorded multiple times in the bluegrass and gospel worlds; and “I Want To Thank You,” a #1 song for Karen Peck and New River.

Song List:
How High Is That Mountain
(Jerry Salley/James I. Elliott)
Every Scar
(Jerry Salley/Gina Boe/Lee Black)
It’s Not What You Know
(Jerry Salley/Carl Jackson)
Saving Grace
(Jerry Salley/Aaron Wilburn)
The Cross On The Right
(Jerry Salley/Max T. Barnes)
The Preacher And The Stranger
(Jerry Salley/Carl Cartee)
Just Drink The Water
(Jerry Salley/Gina Boe/Lee Black)
All Dressed Up
(Jerry Salley/Dianne Wilkinson)
Mountain View Missionary Baptist Church
(Jerry Salley/Lisa Shaffer)
Send The Angels Down
(Jerry Salley/Sheila Stephen)
His Strength Is Perfect
(Jerry Salley/Steven Curtis Chapman)
You Don’t Have To Go Home
(Jerry Salley/Larry Cordle/Larry Shell)
I Want To Thank You
(Jerry Salley/Rusty Golden)

Released in 2012, Showing My Age was Jerry’s first album released on Very Jerry Records label. The highly-anticipated album features 13 tracks that appeal to lovers of Americana, gospel, bluegrass, and country. While it contains some songs that have never before been recorded, others are his own take on hits he has penned for chart-topping artists such as Reba, Brad Paisley, The Isaacs, The Lonesome River Band, Joey & Rory and more!

Song List:
Comin’ Home To You
(Jerry Salley/Chris Stapleton)
Paper And Pen
(Jerry Salley/Allison Mellon)
Showing My Age
(Jerry Salley/Brandon Rickman)
The Best Thing I had Goin’
(Jerry Salley/Chris Stapleton)
The Broken Ones
(Jerry Salley/JB Rudd/Vip Vipperman)
He Carried Her Mem’ry
(Jerry Salley/Jim McBride)
That’s Just Me Loving You
(Jerry Salley/Lisa Shaffer)
Where I’m Coming From
(Jerry Salley Kerry Kurt Phillips)
Close To Crazy
(Jerry Salley/Melba Montgomery)
It’ll Get You Where You’re Going
(Jerry Salley/Kelley Lovelace)
That’s All That Matters To Me
(Jerry Salley/Dee Gaskin)
Back Then
(Jerry Salley/Rusty Tabor/Lance Miller)
Five O’clock Shadow
(Jerry Salley/Jim Rushing)

Jerry’s CD, “New Songs, Old Friends”, feature friends Vince Gill, Doyle Lawson, Del McCoury, Rhonda Vincent, Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White, Alecia Nugent, The Oak Ridge Boys, Darryl Worley, Jamie Johnson (of the Grascals), Sonya Isaacs, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Lisa Shaffer and Keith & Wendy Sewell. The CD includes all songs written by Jerry, with different “friends” singing with him on each cut. The 2007 album was released by Mountain Home Music Company.

Song List:
Wide Open
(Jerry Salley/Steve Ivey)
guest vocalists: Vince Gill & Doyle Lawson
For Me It’s You
(Jerrry Salley/Lance Miller/Dave Turnbull)
guest vocalist: Alecia Nugent
John In The Jordan
(Jerry Salley/Rusty Golden)
guest vocalists: The Oak Ridge Boys
That’s What You Call A Friend
(Jerry Salley/Adam Harvey/Rod McCormack)
guest vocalist: Darryl Worley
Flat Rock Road
(Jerry Salley/Chad Jeffers)
guest vocalists: Jamie Johnson & Lisa Shaffer
Under A Lonesome Moon
(Jerry Salley/Glen Duncan)
guest vocalist: Del McCoury
God Did It
(Jerry Salley/Greg Day)
guest vocalist: Sonya Isaacs
The Distance
(Jerry Salley/Wil Nance)
guest vocalist: Rhonda Vincent
I’m Gonna Take That Mountain
(Jerry Salley/Melissa Peirce)
guest vocalists: Carl Jackson & Larry Cordle
The More I Learn
(Jerry Salley/Charley Stefl)
Fault Line
(Jerry Salley/Keith Sewell)
guest vocalists: Keith Sewell & Wendy Sewell
The Pieces Are Coming Together
(Jerry Salley/Carl Jackson)
guest vocalist: Alecia Nugent
Weeds
(Jerry Salley/Dan Demay)
guest vocalists: Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White
His Record Is On High
(Jerry Salley/Larry Cordle)
guest vocalists: Carl Jackson & Larry Cordle