Jerry Grundhoefer (1930–1997) was a jazz musician who played clarinet, piano, saxophone, organ, xylophone, and flute in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1980, Grundhoefer was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame was founded in 1978, and opened a museum on September 18, 1993, with a mission "to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate a general appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and distinctive art form indigenous to America...

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Early life

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 22, 1930. Grundhoefer graduated from Cretin High School, (now Cretin-Derham Hall High School

Cretin-Derham Hall High School

Cretin-Derham Hall High School is a private, co-educational Catholic high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it is co-sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet...

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Career

Grundhoefer’s first public performances were playing organ at St. Paschal Catholic Church where he met Bernie Fitch, his future wife. Fitch and Grundhoefer were married at St. Croix River in 1950. Subsequently, he worked for American Dereck machines. Approximately one year later, Grundhoefer was working as a salesman for Hobart

Hobart

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...

 Sales and Services, playing music on the side.

Due to job transfers, the family moved from St. Paul to Atlanta to Raleigh, NC, while Grundhoefer opened offices for Hobart in these cities. They finally settled permanently in Birmingham, Alabama in 1965. By this time, they had 9 children and Bernie was expecting another. They had 2 more children together after the move.

Grundhoefer opened Grundy’s Jazz Music Hall in 1979 in Birmingham, a bar where jazz musicians played live music daily. Grundy’s later changed locations in 1980 to a larger venue with tapas restaurant with the bar in order to expand for bigger musical acts. Among those musicians who performed at Grundy’s were Buddy Rich

Buddy Rich

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, Count Basie

Count Basie

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, Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...

, Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy

George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...

, Koko Taylor

Koko Taylor

Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....

, Johnny O'Neal

Johnny O'Neal

Johnny O'Neal, born October 10, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, is an American Neo-bop jazz pianist. His playing ranges from the technically virtuosic to the tenderest of ballad interpretations. Though unique in style, he is influenced by many jazz elders, including Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. He has...

, Royce Campbell

Royce Campbell

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, Clark Terry

Clark Terry

Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...

, Ray Reach

Ray Reach

Raymond Everett Reach, Jr. is an American pianist, vocalist and educator residing in Birmingham, Alabama, now serving as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars and President and CEO of Ray Reach Music and Magic City...

and many others. Grundy’s closed in 1992.

After the closing of Grundy's, Grundhoefer continued to play in other Birmingham venues including Marty’s Bar and Grill. Marty Eagle, the owner of Marty’s, said of Grundhoefer in the Black and White City Paper, “I had Grundy in here on Sundays after Grundy's went out of business. He ran the jazz night, and nobody else could hold it together like he could. Somebody had to be the disciplinarian. And none of the others wanted to discipline any of the other people. But Jerry wanted a good show, and he did it right.”

Death

In 1992, Grundhoefer was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He received a second diagnosis in 1993 of multiple myeloma. He died June 10, 1997.