Jerry Corbitt

Jerry Corbitt (born Jerry Byron Corbitt; January 7, 1943 – March 8, 2014) was an American guitarist, harmonica player, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member and guitarist of the rock band The Youngbloods.

Corbitt was born in Tifton, Georgia. He began his career in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the beginning of the 1960s as a bluegrass musician, then was known as a folk singer. In mid-1960s, Corbitt met Jesse Colin Young, a Queens, New York City-born moderately successful folk singer. In January 1965, the two began touring in Canada as a duo, eventually naming themselves "The Youngbloods". Young played bass, and Corbitt played piano, harmonica and lead guitar. Later on, they were joined by Corbitt's friend, a bluegrass musician Lowell "Banana" Levinger, and drummer Joe Bauer.

In 1967, having signed with RCA Records, they released their first Billboard 200 album, The Youngbloods. Its single "Get Together", did not sell well, and reached #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. Re-released in 1969, it peaked at #5.

In 1969, Corbitt left the Youngbloods for a solo career, before the band recorded the album Elephant Mountain. In 1971, Jerry Corbitt and former Youngbloods producer Charlie Daniels formed the duo Corbitt & Daniels.

For the Youngbloods, he wrote or co-wrote "Dreamer's Dream" (with Levinger) and "Don't Play Games" (1967 album Earth Music), "Rain Song (Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down)" (with Felix Pappalardi and Gail Collins) (1969 album Elephant Mountain). His song "Life Goes On" (co-wtitten with Charlie Daniels) was included on the Daniels 1970 album self-named album. He also co-wrote "Insane in the Brain" by Cypress Hill (#19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993).

Corbitt played electric guitar and acoustic guitar on Canadian singer-songwriter David Wiffen debut 1971 self-named album

Corbitt played bass guitar and produced Don McLean's 1970 debut album Tapestry.

Jerry Corbitt, a resident of Smiley, Texas, died of lung cancer on March 8, 2014. He was 71.