Jerry Reed has definitely earned his legendary status. Not only is he regarded as a guitar great, but he has hosted his own show, starred in hit movies, and written many hit songs, both for himself as well as other artists. Jerry could be classified as a guitar legend, right up there with his mentor and one-time partner, Chet Atkins. Jerry wrote and played on songs performed by Elvis (such as "U.S. Male" and "Guitar Man"), Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash and Brenda Lee.

Known throughout country music as "The Guitar Man," singer/songwriter Jerry Reed gained recognition not only for a successful solo career but also as an actor and ace session player. Jerry Reed Hubbard was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20, 1937; after picking up the guitar as a child, he was signed by publisher and producer Bill Lowery to cut his first record, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creeks Don't Rise," at the age of 18. He continued releasing both country and rockabilly singles to little notice until rocker Gene Vincent covered his "Crazy Legs" in 1958. Bio continues:
http://www.ubl.com/ubl_artist.asp?artistid=11535&p_id=P+++++1783

Read this week's review of Jerry Reed, by Robert Lee Johnson, who also calls himself "The Guitar Man"...

Jerry Reed was another of those child Prodigies who came to Nashville at a very early age, and has spent his entire life in music. I think Jerry was 18 when he moved to Nashville in 1955. Many Great Studio Guitarists were child prodigies. I think that to earn a good living playing Guitar, all your life, takes someone with the talent that a Child Prodigy has.

Jerry Reed said in an interview that he made recordings right away, when he moved to Nashville, but his early Records did not sell. Then Chet Atkins, Guitarist and Producer signed him with RCA Records out of Nashville, spotlighted Jerry Reed's original Style, and Jerry Started selling records big time by 1968. As far as stardom goes, Jerry Paid his Dues for 13 years before he made it. As far as making money as a Guitar player in Nashville, Jerry was making big time money as a studio Guitarists long before he made it as a Singing Star. However, Jerry Paid his dues as a Studio Guitarists also. No one comes to Nashville and Makes it big time right away, absolutely no one, no matter how talented they might be.

Jerry Reed became really famous when he was in the Burt Reynolds Movies, "Smoky And the Bandit." Jerry's Guitar Work, and Singing, was featured in many of the songs on the Sound Track of That Popular Series of Movies. As usual, Jerry's Performance was great, both on Guitar, and in the Vocals he performed in "Smoky And The Bandit."

Jerry Reed was most likely already a millionaire from the sales of his Recordings before the movie "Smoky And The Bandit" was made. However, I'm sure that the earnings from the movie made Jerry Reed in to a Multi Millionaire.

Jerry Reed invested his money in the largest and most professional Video Studio in Nashville. His Video Studio was not purchased from someone else, he had it designed and built to be the best, the most complete Video Facility in Nashville. Many TV Commercials are made in Nashville. His Video Studio is very much in demand for every kind of Video Production.

The creativity of Jerry Reed Seems to Know No Bounds. Jerry Reed and Chet made two full albums together. Jerry Reed is one of Chet Atkins' Guitar Heroes.

Jerry Reed paid his dues in Nashville before he got any hit records. I heard him say in an interview that times were tough for him when he first came to Nashville. Jerry said he had to put his wife to work singing in order to make ends meet. Jerry's Wife, who's stage name is Pricilla Mitchell, has had some hit vocal recordings. I think she also did some backup vocal work on recordings.

Jerry Reed is one of the All Time Great Guitar Players. His hit recordings were vocals, with him playing his own backup, and doing solo Guitar breaks in his songs. I think that Jerry had one or two Instrumentals on his first LP around 1967 or 1968.

Though Jerry Reed is a very good singer, in my opinion his Guitar playing overshadows his singing, by far. And Jerry Reed is remembered more by the Guitar Players of the world than he is for his singing. Guitar Players recognize Greatness, and Jerry Reed most assuredly has greatness when it comes to his Guitar Playing.

Jerry Reed Pretty Much made his living in Nashville backing up singers on Records, TV, and in personal appearances until his first RCA Record was released. How many studio sessions he played I don't know. I do know that his Guitar work for studio sessions was much in demand.

Jerry Reed wrote and recorded a song called "Guitar Man." Elvis also Recorded that song with Jerry Reed doing the Guitar Backup work on a Gut String Guitar. At the time Jerry was a bright Shinning Star with his Nylon String Guitar Licks. Jerry Played Gut String Guitar Like you have never heard before, or after.

I saw Jerry Reed in person, in 1968. He was on tour with Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer, and Boots Randolph. Jerry came on Stage with a Fender Telecaster, with the fret board showing great wear. No doubt the Fender Telecaster had been Jerry Reed's Axe for the Recording sessions, and most backup work for the other singers.

I bought a Capitol Recording of Jerry Reed, recorded a few years before Chet Atkins produced Jerry Reed's Music. It was not all that impressive. I think Chet was right when he told Jerry Reed that the other producers had been recording the great original singer/songwriter and guitarist all wrong. The other Producers had tried to make Jerry Reed fit into the mold of the then present day recordings, instead of letting Jerry Reed's Original Style of Guitar and Singing, Shine. The Producer can make or break any talented artist. If the Producer does not catch the true artistry of a singer, or Guitar player, then the recording will be no good, or it will be just another recording that is not all that much to listen to.

After I first saw and heard Jerry Reed on a Syndicated TV show out of Nashville and learned that Chet had recorded some of the Guitar Instrumentals Jerry Reed had written, I checked my Chet Atkins LPs and found 15 songs that Jerry Reed had written.

Jerry Reed is one of the most creative Guitar Players to ever have lived. No one can really copy his Guitar Licks, no one.

No doubt the Creativity of Jerry Reed showed up on the recording sessions he played on. I read in an interview where Jerry Reed Said he could only play what he played. He in effect said that he was completely spontaneous in his Guitar playing. Jerry Reed said he got all the Studio Session Jobs because the producers liked what he played, not because he could deliver a certain sound the producer wanted. In the interview, Jerry Reed showed admiration for Guitar players who could deliver any type of Guitar playing that a Record Producer might want.

Jerry Reed wrote most of the Vocals he sang on his recordings. As with many guitarists, Jerry Reed is excellent at writing novelty songs. He Recorded many of the Novelty songs that he had written throughout his music career. And the novelty songs went over with the Record buying public very well, with Jerry Selling Records in the Millions.

Jerry Reed took the route that many great guitarists take who work Nashville. He made his mark selling vocal recordings. It is tough for an instrumentalist, a Guitar instrumentalist, to get records that sell in millions out of Nashville, or any other recording center. Guitarists know that if they are to sell records in the Millions, and achieve great popularity, they are going to have to do it primarily as a vocalist, not as a Guitar instrumentalist.

Roy Clark, a great Guitarists, took the Vocalists Route, as did Guitarists Billy Grammar, and Merle Travis. Chet Atkins tried to take the Vocalist route in music. In 1946 Chet Atkins Recorded some vocals, but they never sold, so Chet Concentrated his Playing and Recording efforts on his Great Guitar Playing.

Though many Great Guitarists have taken the Vocalist Route, they are always remembered most for their Guitar Playing, when all is said and done. At this time when Jerry Reed no longer has vocal recordings on the charts, he is reverenced greatly for his Guitar playing, not his singing; though his singing is still loved.

Everyone would like to be a Star, to be rich and Famous. So it's easy to see why so many great Guitar players take the route of vocalist, even when their Guitar playing is much more artistic than their singing. Most likely if Jerry Reed had not been recorded by Chet Atkins as a vocalist, we would not even know that Jerry Reed is alive. He most likely would have lived his music life in obscurity, having never been known to the general public. This would have been sad indeed.

I can't say I can recognize the Jerry Reed Guitar Licks on other people's recordings. No doubt he was playing his Fender Telecaster on most of the backup work he did. And his Guitar work fit right in and made the singer sound good, without making Jerry Reed into a Guitar Playing Star. The backup guitarists who work a lot doesn't try to make himself sound like a star, they try to make the singer sound like a star. Any backup guitarist who tried to be a star on recordings would get hired once, and that would be it.

If you are a collector and want the Original Jerry Reed LPs, you have to search them out in the Oldies and Collectible Shops. An Oldies and Collectible Shop that may very well have some of the Original Jerry Reed LPs is "The Record Exchange" in St. Louis Missouri. Jean Haffner, who owns and operates "The Record Exchange" in St. Louis, has the largest Collection of Oldies And Collectible Records that I have ever seen. "The Record Exchange" in St. Louis Missouri does not have a Web Page. You will have to use some other means to get in touch with Jean Haffner at his "Record Exchange." There are many Oldies and Collectible Record Shops Throughout the United States that are Named "The Record Exchange," so you have to get the "Record Exchange" out of St. Louis Missouri to inquire with Jean Haffner as to whether he has any of Jerry Reed's Original LPs.

Many Jerry Reed Recordings are Available on CD. You can find the CDs that are now on the market at Amazon, CD Now, Tower Records, and at your local CD Retail Shop. All the "Smoky And The Bandit" Movies which Jerry Co-Starred in are available on Amazon Com.

Robert Lee Johnson
The Guitar Man
http://www.mp3.com/theguitarman

I have many Guitar Instrumentals for download (& CDs for sale) on my MP3.com band page.

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See also:

Jerry Reed
http://www.lowerymusic.com/jrpage.htm http://www.delafont.com/music_acts/Jerry-Reed.htm

And a Jerry Reed fan page: http://www.geocities.com/lizsjerryreedpage/

Chet Atkins
http://www.guitarsite.com/ChetAtkins.htm

Country Music
http://www.guitarsite.com/country.htm