Guitarist Extraordinaire

Jerry Topinka began playing guitar in May of 1954, quickly displaying a passion for the instrument.  Jerry studied with two of the top guitarists of the time – Al Caiola and Joe Cinderella.  At the age of 16, Jerry began playing professionally and in 1964 was a featured jazz guitarist in a Bergen County nightclub.  Les Paul stopped by many Saturday nights to hear Jerry play.  Today, Jerry’s venues range from intimate jazz clubs to major corporate fund-raising events, plus special guest appearances with his long-time friend, Les Paul, at the Indium in NYC. 

In the mid-to-late-1970s, Jerry toured the country playing alongside stars such as Buddy Rich and Gloria Gaynor.  Jerry accompanied Stephanie Mills and recorded a duet of “Danny Boy” with Al Green.  He toured extensively with the band Chailo, whose 1978 song “Joanie” received significant radio play leading to an enthusiastic write-up of the band in Billboard magazine.

Along with a busy performing schedule, Jerry did studio work in the 1970s for the CBS network with producer Artie Shreck, playing on commercials for Ford Motor Company and Comet Cleanser. Jerry also wrote, produced, and recorded a WABC commercial for Century Hardware.

The album “Wind” by Tchin and Yovani" features Jerry’s playing on an instrumental song “Nostalgia,” nominated in 2000 for a Grammy in the Native American category. Jerry engineered and performed on “Kamban Oru Kannile” by Charan and Devan, a CD achieving gold-level sales in India. Jerry’s Indian friends sought him out to hire and manage musicians for the 2000 U.S.A. and Canadian tour of A.R. Rahman, an acclaimed Indian performer and composer who recently worked with Michael Jackson and Andrew Lloyd Weber.