Gerald Ross is the consummate musician. He plays steel guitar, guitar, and ukulele with great expertise in any style. We have commissioned him as house guitarist of the TSGA Non Pedal Session in Dallas for the last 3 years – and each year he skillfully accompanies over a dozen very diverse steel players and performs his own excellent steel guitar set. We’re very fortunate that he will be returning to Dallas again this March.

Rick Alexander
Coordinator
Texas Steel Guitar Association Annual Jamboree
www.texassteelguitar.org

Gerald is truly one of the greatest multi-instrumental musicians in the Midwest. His repertoire includes Hawaiian steel guitar, ukulele, guitar and bass, and many more instruments. You would be hard pressed to find a musician with the breadth and depth of musical knowledge that Gerald possesses. His three CDs cover blues, swing, Beatles, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Latin, Italian, Aboriginal, and original instrumental arrangements and compositions. He has been featured on Bosko and Honey’s Ukulele Safari, and has been a guest numerous times on the “Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor. When Gerald goes to a ukulele festival, and the Windy City Ukulele Festival was no exception, everyone wants to jam with him. He always gets more stage time than everyone else. That’s because of his expertise on all of the instruments he plays and his ability to adapt to most any musical style. His warm personal demeanor, friendly smile, and intricate melodies always seem to mesmerize the crowd. Gerald Ross is the cream-of-crop of professional musicians, and continues to leave his audiences happy and wanting more.

Terry Truhart
Co-Organizer of the Windy City UkeFest
“The Best Ukulele Experience in the Midwest”
www.WindyCityUkeFest.com

When I hire my staff, there are three main things I look for: (1) Great musicianship  (2) That the person conduct him/herself in a professional manner  (3) That this is someone who is pleasant & easy to work with.  Gerald Ross has all three in spades!  He plays great (and on multiple instruments!).  He is a wonderfully prepared, organized, and thoughtful teacher and a polished performer.  And he is SUCH A NICE GUY…. he makes everyone feel important.   He doesn’t need much sleep, either!  Just make sure he has coffee in the morning and he keeps on going…  I would highly recommend Gerald for any performing venue or instructional seminar.

Wendi Bourne
Coordinator, Swing Week at Augusta
Augusta Heritage Center
Elkins, West Virginia
www.augustaheritage.com

Gerald Ross is an entire music festival and music camp in one! He does it all with style, grace and wit. As a teacher, Gerald is extremely organized and easily gets the concepts across to his students whether on ukulele, lap steel guitar or swing guitar. As a performer and headliner, he captivates the audience by the diversity of styles he plays as well as his ability to move between the various instruments he plays. Other performers relish the opportunity to have Gerald accompany them as he makes everyone sound better than they really are! Gerald is fun to work with and musicians and students alike appreciate his willingness to share his talents to help them achieve new musical goals!

Noel Tardy
Organizer, Lone Star UkeFest
Owner, UkeLady Music
Dallas, Texas
LoneStarUkeFest.com
www.UkeLadyMusic.com

From the first moment to the last, [Beginning Hawaiian/Western Swing Lap Steel Guitar] was the best class I have ever taken! Gerald had a clear syllabus which outlined what he would do each day. He was organized in all of his lessons from beginning to end. He combined explanations with presentations and individual help. 

The class was quite varied in ability and he worked with each student on his/her own level. Even the things I had already learned from my teacher at home were covered by Gerald in such a way that I learned even more! I was not in his ukulele class, but all the students from that class, too, told me how much they learned in Gerald’s class.

He is an awesome teacher! I personally hope that he can teach an intermediate lap steel class next year.

A Student in Gerald’s “Beginning Hawaiian/Western
Swing Lap Steel Guitar” Class
Augusta Swing Week 2010

On stage, he is entertaining and very, very funny. His musicianship is superb and his audiences love his subtle–and tasteful–sense of humor.

And while Gerald is an endearing solo performer, his fellow musicians know they can turn to him when they need back-up, whether it’s on the upright bass, guitar, lap steel guitar, or ukulele.
Gerald is an excellent teacher as well. His workshops are well-planned, user-friendly, and constantly evolving. He gets nothing but the highest marks from his students, who love him for his skill, knowledge, and generosity.

As a staff member of both the Wine Country Ukulele Festival and the West Coast Ukulele Retreat, Gerald arrives on the scene prepared and well-organized and is always willing to step in where needed. If I could clone him, I would.

Elaine de Man
Coordinator/Organizer,
Wine Country Ukulele Festival

West Coast Ukulele Retreat
Card Shark Press
Kani Ka Pila Blog


Gerald has the gift of taking complex musical concepts and techniques and breaking them down into easy-to-understand components. He has a way of inspiring players to better themselves by providing them with clear explanation and direction, delivered with encouragement and humor that make his students feel confident and comfortable.

Ben Hassenger
Director
Mighty Uke Day
Lansing, MI