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Reflecting On The Musical Legacy Of Dayton Jazz Icon Jerry Gillotti

Jerry Gillotti
StoryCorps

Jerry Gillotti, owner of Gilly’s jazz club in downtown Dayton, passed away Thursday, November 23, 2017. He was 80 years old. 

Gillotti became a jazz fan while stationed in Germany during his service in the Army from 1956 to 1958.  Upon returning to Ohio, he graduated from the University of Dayton in 1962. He began presenting live music in 1969 when he opened his first business, Jerry Gillotti’s Wedgewood Inn on Patterson Road in Dayton.  In 1972, Gilly’s opened at 801 North Main Street. The club moved to its current location at 131 S. Jefferson Street in the heart of downtown Dayton in 1976.  

Gilly’s has hosted countless notable performers during the club’s 45 year tenure including Roy Meriwether who performed the club’s opening show, George Benson, B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Wynton Marsalis, Stan Getz, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others.

Funeral services for Gillotti are later this week. Gilly's will close at the end of this year

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Juliet Fromholt is proud to be music director at 91.3FM WYSO. Juliet began volunteering at WYSO while working at WWSU, the student station at her alma mater, Wright State University. After joining WYSO's staff in 2009, Juliet developed WYSO’s digital and social media strategy until moving into the music director role in 2021. An avid music fan and former record store employee, Juliet continues to host her two music shows, Alpha Rhythms and Kaleidoscope, which features studio performances from local musicians every week. She also co-hosts Attack of the Final Girls, a horror film review podcast.
Dave Barber has hosted programs on WYSO dating back to 1977. A Dayton native, Barber got involved with the station after listening to YSO and learning about all kinds of music from programmers such as Art Snyder, Larry Blood, Jon Fox and many others. He's also a graduate of WYSO's Community Voices training program.
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