Singer and actor Jerry Reed - known as "The Guitar Man" of country music - has died at the age of 71, ending a career that took him from writing hit songs like When You're Hot, You're Hot to major acting roles in Hollywood.
Reed died on Monday from complications from emphysema. He had been cared for recently in a hospice, Country Music Television in Nashville reported.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Reed released more than 40 albums over a long career that started with his first record at the age of 18.
He went on to become a Grammy award-winning musician as well as a popular session and tour guitarist who played with the likes of Joan Baez and Ringo Starr.
In the mid-1970s, Reed teamed up with friend and actor Burt Reynolds and appeared in the three Smokey and the Bandit movies as Reynolds' truck-driving sidekick The Snowman.
He also wrote the hit song East Bound and Down from the first movie.
Reed later played Coach Red Beaulieu in the 1998 movie The Waterboy with Adam Sandler.
Elvis Presley recorded two of Reed's early songs - US Male and Guitar Man - and Reed played his distinctive "claw-style" licks on the studio recordings.
Reed also played with country star Chet Atkins and was a regular on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour in 1970, as well as writing songs for Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee and many others.
Reed won two Grammys in the early 1970s and another in 1992 for the album Sneakin' Around.
Another muso down..
Moderator: Capt. Black
- Rog
- The Self-Proclaimed Voice of Reason
- Posts: 9273
- meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
- Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2003 12:30 pm
- Location: Under de mountain
- Has liked: 19 times
- Been liked: 66 times
- ash
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 7505
- Joined: Mon May 10, 2004 4:01 pm
- Location: Auckland, NZ
- Has liked: 3 times
- Been liked: 5 times
Re: Another muso down..
Great song!Rog wrote:When You're Hot, You're Hot
I had once been told that Jerry Reed played Boss Hogg in Dukes of Hazzard, so I was surprised he was still around and only 71. Boss Hogg was that old in the '80s! Turns out Boss Hogg was someone else altogether, and Jerry Reed was in Smokey and the Bandit among other things.
Jerry Reed wrote:When you' hot, you' hot! When you' not, you' NOT!
http://ashcustomworks.com for custom built electric guitars hand made in new zealand
- Jenesis
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 7882
- Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:24 am
- Location: Masterton
- Been liked: 1 time
Re: Another muso down..
Bummer. Never got into his music, but he was cool in the Smokey And The Bandit flicks, and of course Gator.