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Jerry Boonstra is an Americana/Alt-Country singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee.
He's performed everywhere from house concerts to honky-tonks. From live radio appearances to the main stage at Bean Blossom. From the Bluebird cafe to the Exit-Inn. From busking for change in subways to the offices of major record labels.
He's signed deals with and been recorded by Grammy winning Americana/Country producer Tony Brown (Steve Earle, The Mavericks, George Strait, Todd Snider).
As a writer he's had cuts by other artists including Highway 101, Americana artist Darrell Scott and Scottish rock superstars Big Country. His songs have been used on NPR as well as European television.
“Soldier of the Lord” is his latest effort. The first single from a forthcoming album, the song is a modern Appalachian folktale as grim and honest as an empty bottle of Rebel Yell. One astute reviewer remarked that, “ if Joel and Ethan Coen ever started a band, “Soldier of the Lord” would be the first single.”
"Tennessee Forever
Born and raised in East Tennessee at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and now based in Nashville. Tennessee will always be home sweet home to me.
My heroes have always been cowboys
Heavily influenced by the outlaw country movement of the 1970's. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard are my influences, I picked up a guitar because of Johnny Cash, the first song I ever learned was one of Waylon's. I even married my wife on March 1, 2019 which is 51 years after Johnny Cash married June Carter on the same day in 1968. Those guys are timeless and their influence will live forever.
I’ve got something to say and I’m going to say it.
First and foremost I am a songwriter. Good or bad I’ll let you decide but all of my songs are truly an extension of me. I write about things that happen in my life or those around me especially my family and friends. I write about Jesus because I am nothing without his grace. I write about my wife because she is what makes my world go round. To quote the late great Waylon Jennings "He'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold". I'm living proof that nothing is more true than that."
The band released their second album, Lipstick II, in 2017. Lipstick II featured a wide array of guest musicians including Phil Shouse (Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley), Tom Pappas (Superdrag), Kyle Hebert (Dragonball Z, Street Figher) and Jace McLain (Nuclear Bubble Wrap). The songs on the second album were originals written by Greg Troyan and Stephen Smith along with a cover of the Hironobu Kageyama classic “Cha La Head Cha La”. In April of 2019, the band announced the band was changing their name to "Lipstick Generation" to better reflect the band's new harder image and sound. The band releaed a series of singles of "reaction songs" to the final season of HBO's Game of Thrones less than 4 hours after the release of each episode and made their live debut of the new image at the 2019 Nashville Rock n Pod Expo.
Bill is originally from the St Louis area and currently resides in Nashville, TN. Since he was sixteen, Bill has been writing songs, entertaining and making people laugh and hosting award winning morning radio shows. He has performed at corporate events, casinos, fairs, comedy clubs and more.
THE SONGWRITER
Bill’s song “Safe Haven” co-written with Jimmy Fortune, Syndi Perry and Hillary Scott is on the current “Love Remains” album by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family that won the Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Contemporary Christian Album.
He also has the current title track on the new Joe Nichols CD “Crickets”…and his songs have been recorded by Linda Davis, Brady Seals, Ray Stevens, Cledus T. Judd, Karen Wheeler, Brooke and Darren Adlridge, Brent Burns and others.
In 2016 he landed a #1 Gospel Bluegrass song "He's A Coming" recorded by Darin and Brooke Aldridge.
Bill’s song “Cornhole The Song” was the featured piece of music in the recently released independent movie “Cornhole The Movie”…that features the popular Midwest bean bag game.
Through the years, Bill has performed with, Jeff Dunham, Heywood Banks, Larry the Cable Guy, Crystal Gayle, Little Big Town, Gary Morris and many others. And in 2019 Bill signed an exclusive publishing deal with Billy Blue Publishing in Nashville.
Bill has two comedy song CD’s available. “Off The Wall” recorded “live” at the Bluebird Café in Nashville and the recently released “Leave Em’ Laughing”.
THE RADIO GUY
Bill is an accomplished radio broadcaster hosting morning shows in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Nashville. He has been nominated three times for the CMA (Country Music Association) “Air Personality of the Year” and was honored to the CMA Award for Best Large Market Personality in 1991. Bill is also a winner of the Gavin “Large Market Broadcast Personality of The Year” as well as an AIR Award for “Best New Radio Show” in Nashville.
In 2012 Bill was awarded the highest honor for a Country Radio personality when he was inducted into the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Currently Bill works on air for “The Legend” 650AM WSM in Nashville.
As a syndicated writer for both United Stations and Premiere in New York, Bill provides comedy bits for production and distribution to morning radio shows across the country. He has also been the most frequent guest host for the Bob Kingsley Top 40 Countdown Show. Just this year, the CMA Broadcast Hall of Fame has honored Bill with a nomination.
And he’s hosted a number of “live” syndicated performance shows hosting world premiers for Patty Loveless and Jo Dee Messina to name a couple. He has also guest hosted for Bob Kingsley on his national countdown show numerous times.
THE ENTERTAINER
As far as a performer…whether he's picking on pseudo celebrities in his song "CELEBUTARD" or wondering how much he could get away with in "IF I HAD BOOBS" he always leaves the crowd laughing. Bill's song "I'M GOIN’ UGLY EARLY TONIGHT" which has been recorded by Cledus T. Judd, is the perfect howling climax for his stand-up/singing routine.
“I’m Going Ugly Early” written with Brent Burns finished number two a few years ago for “Novelty Song Of The Year” at the “Just Plain Folks Music Award Show” in Nashville over hundreds of entries worldwide.
“Delnora Reed has been performing her signature blend of roots, country and folk music across the country since she was a teenager; continuing a long and distinguished family tradition in music. Her first album, entitled “Delnora” received airplay on Country Radio both in the States as well as the United Kingdom and while in college, Delnora was named one of the ten “Best College Entertainers In America”.
Delnora has shared the stage with Craig Morgan, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Marty Stewart, The Church Sisters, Eddie Stubbs, The Chuck Wagon Gang, Danielle Peck, Stella Parton, Georgette Jones, Paul Thorn, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Buddy Jewell, Leona Williams, Leonard Ahlstrom, Jason Deere, Jan Howard, Roy Clark, Jr., Jett Williams, Billy Yates, Buck Moore, Gary Duffey, Mark Alan Cash, Tommy Barnes, and many more. She has just finished recording as a member of the trio The Shotgun Rubies for Grammy Award winner Carl Jackson’s latest project, “Orthophonic Joy – The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited”, which is slated for a January 2015 release on Sony Records.
