♪ A merry Christmas and good tidings to you ♪ Ah, the holidays, the lights, shopping, and of course, the music.

♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ♪ During this holiday season, members of the men's singing group, Gold Standard Chorus, merged talents with the Ladies of the Queen Charlotte chorus, putting on a holiday show at St. Stephen's United Methodist Church.

The group's harmonizing to sing all the holiday classics.

- As you heard at the Christmas show, the sounds is incredible.

- [Jason] For Jerry Herbert, singing with the group was nothing new.

♪ Santa Claus is coming to town ♪ - I think about 16 years.

I think 16.

(audience applauding) - [Jason] As audience members showed their approval and began heading for the exits, Jerry's night was only halfway over.

- I just love music.

- [Jason] After a quick undoing of his coat and tie, Jerry was off to Indian Trail in the Cactus Rose Cafe Mexican Restaurant.

♪ Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say ♪ ♪ On a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day ♪ - [Jason] It's here that Jerry's been entertaining customers every Friday and Saturday night for nearly 25 years.

- That's hard to believe, isn't it?

It it really is.

- He's a wonderful entertainer, and people love him.

♪ Saying I love you (indistinct) ♪ - [Jason] The restaurant has changed locations over the years four different times, from Matthews to Indian Trail.

But Jerry has always moved with them.

- Jerry's always been good to us.

So we reciprocate by letting him play.

- [Jason] It's not a paying job, mind you.

Jerry simply does it for the joy of playing, and a few tips here and there.

- Over the years, they've sent us to, Diane and I to a Jimmy Buffett concert.

They've done so many things for us.

They're good friends.

Yeah, they really are like family.

- [Jason] He is the music man in the ultimate One-man Band.

- Here we go, here we go.

- [Jason] Singing, playing piano, and mixing in a mini trumpet that's not really a trumpet.

Those sounds you hear aren't coming from an instrument.

Jerry's creating them with his voice.

- I was just blown away about how he can do a trumpet with his mouth.

- A lot of people think that it's real.

- I like to watch them when they first hear it because they don't know what, some people just stop what they're doing and just kinda look like, what is that?

- I don't know.

I picked up something and (plays harmonica).

♪ Harmonicas ♪ Harmonicas - [Jason] The harmonica he's playing is real.

And the Cactus Rose isn't the only place Jerry plays.

He also volunteers his talents at Novant Health Matthews Medical Center.

People coming through the main lobby can't help but stop for a minute or two to listen to him play.

- The hospital gig, if you wanna call it a gig, is very rewarding to me, just to bring some smile to somebody's face.

- Jerry is such a gifted musician.

We're often asked whether we have a professional musician on staff, and Jerry's a community volunteer.

He comes here 'cause he loves to serve the community.

He loves to serve the patients.

And you can see patients coming down with their families to hear the music.

You can hear team members stop, get that break in the middle of their day to hear what the lovely music that he plays.

So he is a wonderful addition to the Matthews community.

- [Jason] For Jerry, his love affair with music began at a young age.

- You didn't get that, did you?

My parents won a piano when I was in the third grade, and they paid for piano lessons and I kind of dropped it and just started playing by ear.

I enlisted in the Navy Reserve and I sang in a band on the ship.

- [Jason] After getting out of the Navy, Jerry got married to wife Diane.

54 years now, they have two kids and three grandchildren.

- I worked for Duke Energy, Duke Power for 37 and a half years.

- But even when he worked at Duke, on the weekends, he was still always in.

But that's his true love, to be involved with music.

- [Jason] But through the years, music has always played an integral part of his life.

Singing and playing in various ensembles over the years, dressed as Phantom of the Opera, a monk, even Elvis.

He's played private parties, nursing homes, and weddings.

Never really doing it for the money, just the love of the music and making people feel good.

- And one day, a customer came in and Jerry was doing Italian music, like Frank Sinatra.

And the guy said, "You know what?

I've never been in a Mexican restaurant and heard like Frank Sinatra, but you know, it all fits well."

- He's even woken up from sleep singing.

(laughs) He's even answered me in a question singing.

So he sings a lot.

- I guess it's just my life.

I've been enjoying it for a long, long time.

- [Jason] And according to Jerry, he's not done yet.

- Before I die, I want to get really, really good on the guitar.

So I've got many years ahead of me.