Jerry Reed

Within the sphere of country music, Jerry Reed earned the longstanding nickname "the Guitar Man" thanks to his accomplishments as a singer and songwriter, along with his work as an actor and his reputation as a virtuoso studio musician. Born Jerry Reed Hubbard in Atlanta, GA, on March 20, 1937, he began playing guitar in childhood and landed a deal with publisher and producer Bill Lowery to record his debut release, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creeks Don't Rise," at the age of eighteen. He kept issuing country and rockabilly singles that attracted scant attention until Gene Vincent delivered a version of his song "Crazy Legs" in 1958.

Following a two-year period of military service, Reed relocated to Nashville in 1961 to pursue songwriting, a craft that had kept gaining momentum during his time in uniform because of Brenda Lee's 1960 recording of "That's All You Got to Do." He also established himself as a sought-after session and touring guitarist. In 1962 he achieved modest traction with "Goodnight Irene" and "Hully Gully Guitar," recordings that reached Chet Atkins, who later oversaw Reed's 1965 track "If I Don't Live Up to It." By 1967 Reed had secured his initial chart success with "Guitar Man," a composition Elvis Presley promptly covered. After Presley cut another Reed original, "U.S. Male," the songwriter released the Elvis tribute "Tupelo Mississippi Flash," which became his first Top 20 entry.

Following the 1970 crossover success of "Amos Moses," a fusion blending rock, country, and Cajun elements, Reed partnered with Atkins on the duet album Me and Jerry. He appeared regularly on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour during the 1970 television season and released his biggest single in 1971, the number-one hit "When You're Hot, You're Hot," which also served as the title song for that year's LP. A further collaboration with Atkins, Me and Chet, arrived in 1972 alongside a string of Top 40 releases that alternated between energetic country numbers and smoother countrypolitan productions. One year later Reed claimed his second chart-topper, "Lord, Mr. Ford," from the album The Uptown Poker Club.

By the mid-'70s Reed's recording output began yielding priority to his acting ambitions, culminating in a 1974 co-starring role alongside close friend Burt Reynolds in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. Although he maintained a recording schedule throughout the decade, his greatest visibility came from film roles, nearly always alongside Reynolds; after appearing in 1976's Gator, he took parts in 1978's High Ballin' and 1979's Hot Stuff. He also shared the screen in all three Smokey and the Bandit installments, the first of which debuted in 1977 and yielded Reed a number-two hit via the soundtrack cut "East Bound and Down."

In 1979 Reed issued Half & Half, an album mixing vocal and instrumental tracks, aptly titled as such. Two years afterward came Jerry Reed Sings Jim Croce, a tribute to the late singer/songwriter. Reed's singles career regained momentum in 1982 with the novelty number-one "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)" and the follow-up "The Bird," which reached number two. His final chart entry, "I'm a Slave," surfaced in 1983. After the unsuccessful 1986 LP Lookin' at You, Reed concentrated on live performances until reuniting with Atkins for the 1992 album Sneakin' Around, after which he returned to touring. He recorded only occasionally during the '90s yet gained renewed attention through a role in the Adam Sandler film The Waterboy. Largely inactive through much of the 2000s, he passed away in 2008 from emphysema.