Jerry Bob Abbott (born April 8, 1942) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

songwriter and record producer. He is the father of heavy metal musicians Dimebag Darrell and

Vinnie Paul Vincent Paul Abbott (March 11, 1964 – June 22, 2018) was an American musician best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He also co-founded Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, 'Dimebag' Darre ...

, both of

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-known lineup consist ...

and

Damageplan Damageplan was an American heavy metal band from Dallas, Texas, formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Diesel ...

Biography

Jerry Abbott was born in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan stati ...

, on April 8, 1942. He began playing the piano at age eight, and took up the guitar aged 15. He joined a local band at the age of 18 and spent a few years touring Texas, then began working as a member of resident bands in numerous nightclubs. During this time, he attended college and obtained a business degree. In 1973, Abbott was hired as a

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

by the owner of a local recording studio.Jerry Abbott: Father Dime
''Guitar World'' Abbott was married to Norma Carolyn Abbott (' Adkisson) from 1962 until their divorce in 1979, and the marriage produced two sons: Vincent Paul (1964-2018) and Darrell Lance (1966-2004). His sons co-founded the heavy metal band

in 1981, and Abbott was the band's first manager. He also produced the group's early albums '' Metal Magic'' (1983), '' Projects in the Jungle'' (1984), '' I Am the Night'' (1985) and ''

Power Metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

'' (1988), at his recording studio Pantego Sound. All of these albums were released by Metal Magic Records, a label that Abbott had created under the alias Jerry Eld'n. After Pantera agreed to a major-label deal with

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the com ...

in 1989, Abbott left his role as the band's producer, though ''

Cowboys from Hell ''Cowboys from Hell'' is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on July 24, 1990 by Atco Records. It marked the band's major label debut and their first collaboration with producer Terry Date. This was also the ...

'' (1990) and '' Vulgar Display of Power'' (1992) were both recorded at Pantego Sound. In Texas, Abbott also served as a producer for

Texas blues Texas blues is blues music from Texas. As a regional style, its original form was characterized by jazz and swing influences. Later examples are often closer to blues rock and Southern rock. History Texas blues began to appear in the early 190 ...

artist Bugs Henderson. Abbott then moved to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

to become a country songwriter, and founded a new studio, Abtrax Recording. ''

Far Beyond Driven ''Far Beyond Driven'' is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Pantera, released on March 22, 1994 by East West Records. Pantera's fastest-selling album, it peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified Platinum ...

'' (1994) was recorded at Abtrax. Abbott was successful as a songwriter and received songwriting credits for songs recorded by artists such as

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

and Freddy Fender. Abbott's former wife Carolyn died from lung cancer in 1999. His younger son Darrell was murdered in 2004 and his elder son Vincent died from a heart attack in 2018. All three are buried at the Moore Memorial Gardens cemetery in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

.Pantera Share Photo of Vinnie Paul's Full Memorial Headstone
''Revolver''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Jerry 1942 births Living people American country songwriters Pantera People from Abilene, Texas People from Tarrant County, Texas Record producers from Texas Songwriters from Texas Country musicians from Texas