Jerome (Jerry) Kadlec
(1937-2020)
Inducted 2004
Jerome “Big Daddy Kaddy” / “Jerry” Kadlec, saxophonist, clarinetist, singer and multi-instrumentalist played his first dance job at the age of 12 in Silver Lake, Minnesota. After graduating from Silver Lake High School in 1955, he attended the U.S. Naval School of Music in Washington, DC and toured the Mediterranean and the Caribbean with a 17-piece Navy Band. After he was discharged in 1958, he joined The Whoopee John Band and played with the band for over two years. In 1965, he married his bride Judy Landkammer at The Lake Marion Ballroom, where (of course) his current band, The Earl Schmidt Orchestra, played at their wedding dance. They bought a 160-acre family farm and “raised three children: Melissa, Tony and Andy, as well as some soybeans and sweet corn.” Jerry’s first love was music, but he had a 38-year career working for the U.S. Postal Service. He joined The Bruce Bradley Band in 1990. Jerry was very thankful for all of the wonderful experiences he had and people he met in the 70 years of playing music.
