JERRI HART:

MY WAY

If you’ve stepped foot anywhere in Bath then you’ve probably inadvertently heard the smoky, wine-drenched vocals of infamous busker, Jerri Hart. A magnetic old crooner usually poised with a trumpet in hand and dressed to the nines; a tipped hat casting shadow across twinkling eyes. He’s a well-known figure of the area, despite not actually being a Bath resident (he hails from Devon), and not being a big drinker – unless it’s a quick B52 – I took him for a coffee to get to know Bath’s answer to Frank Sinatra.

A defiant smile playing across his lips, Hart divulges that he won’t let it hinder him: apparently Ramesses II suffered from the same condition and "he built more pyramids and had more kids than any other pharaoh".

You’ve got to hand it to the old jazz enthusiast; he has a very infectious outlook: his Bath performances fund his ongoing treatment for his back whilst fulfilling his “pathological desire to be in the middle, at the front”. “It’s my curse”, he proclaims, a knowing look in his eye. Of course, all drama is conflict – Jerri Hart’s a performer through and through.

But Jerri doesn’t just do renditions of old songs. Jack of all trades, master of none, he says: “I don’t really see myself as a musician- I see myself as a performer who happens to sing”. A director, stand-up comedian, performer, and even a juggler, Hart found that performing was what was most important to him despite all that life has thrown at him.

Next time you’re walking around Bath and you hear the haunting tones of Chet Baker around the corner, spare a few minutes for Jerri Hart because, and it’s time to prepare for that long-awaited cliché: you may not realise it, but you’ll probably help make his little town blues melt away.

"Hart suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis: an incurable, degenerate condition which affects his spine, slowly fusing the bones together"

It’s no great surprise to discover that Hart busks in Bath for the “hordes of tourists” that come traipsing through the stonewashed walls and cobbled streets. In fact he’ll turn down a wedding weekend in favour of busking on Milsolm Street, because the money he’ll take in far surpasses that which a wedding will earn him. But don’t allow this to suggest that money is the driving force behind Hart’s street performance. The real reason for Hart’s frequent appearances can be attributed to his infamous hunch.

Hart suffers from Ankylosing spondylitis: an incurable, degenerate condition which affects his spine, slowly fusing the bones together: “I used to be 6ft tall until 15 years ago and now I’m turning into a hobbit”.

After leaving school at 16, Hart began dabbling in drugs, then moved to London and joined a theatre company. Here he did many things before eventually getting into Cabaret. Hart underwent serious hardships after he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis in his mid thirties. His then-band split up, he suffered family problems, and after visiting the job centre he was told he never had to work again: “So I thought the sensible thing to do is to become a stand-up comedian. That’s the adult response”.

It’s this endearing tongue-in-cheek attitude, which makes this man such a charming coffee date and bewitching performer. He says of his busking, that it’s not about his skills as a musician, he doesn’t believe people care for that: “I would like to do to people what I would like to be done to me in that situation: just to feel a bit better for a fraction of your day”.

“I would like to do to people what I would like to be done to me in that situation: be made to feel a bit better for a fraction of the day”

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