[Vision2020] Jerry Reed Dies at Age 71

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (September 3, 2008) Spokesman Review -

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Jerry Reed, singer, actor, dies at age 71 
He wrote Elvis hits, acted with Reynolds in 'Smokey' movies 

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Jerry Reed performs in this 1977 file photo. His longtime booking agent 
said Reed died of complications from emphysema.
http://tinyurl.com/5u5aok

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Jerry Reed, whose roles in three "Smokey and the Bandit" Southern comedy 
films opposite Burt Reynolds often overshadowed his gifts as a prolific 
country singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist, died Monday at his home 
outside Nashville, Tenn., of complications from emphysema. He was 71.

"He was still recording right up until he couldn't anymore," his booking 
agent, Carrie Moore-Reed, who is not related, said Tuesday. "He had been 
ill for some time."

Reed gained widespread fame as Reynolds' wisecracking foil starting 
with "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" in 1975, followed the next year 
by "Gator" and then, in 1977, the first of three "Smokey and the Bandit" 
movies in which he played Cledus "Snowman" Snow. In his last major film 
role, he played a harsh football coach in the 1998 Adam Sandler 
comedy "The Waterboy."

But before he made the jump to Hollywood, he'd established himself as one 
of the most sought-after guitarists in Nashville, a songwriter who wrote 
hits for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee and many others. He became 
a regular presence on the pop and country charts in the 1970s and '80s 
with humorous hits including "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "Amos Moses," 
and "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)."
 
"The general population might recognize him most as Snowman in 
the 'Smokey' films, but they should be aware of so many important 
contributions he made in music," said Michael Gray, museum editor for the 
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Jerry Reed Hubbard was born March 20, 1937, in Atlanta, into a family of 
cotton farmers. He started playing guitar when he was young, and by the 
time he was a teenager he was performing with the likes of Ernest Tubb and 
Faron Young. He got his first record contract in 1955 – he was 18 – with 
Capitol Records.

His own records didn't click, but one of his songs, "Crazy Legs," was 
recorded by Capitol's big rockabilly star, Gene Vincent.

Following a two-year stint in the Army, he relocated to Nashville and 
switched to Columbia Records. There his songs and guitar-playing caught 
the ear of Chet Atkins, the esteemed guitarist who worked for RCA as a 
producer and talent scout. He signed Reed in 1965.

The first tangible result of that deal was "Guitar Man," which reached No. 
53 on the country singles chart. Because he was a label mate of Presley, 
Reed suggested that Presley record the tune.

Presley's version became a Top 50 hit and helped usher in Presley's late-
'60s career revitalization following his round of fluffy Hollywood movies. 
Presley followed "Guitar Man," with another Reed song, "U.S. Male."

Reed landed the first Top 10 pop hit of his own in 1970 with "Amos Moses," 
a country funk tune about a Cajun alligator hunter built around Reed's 
chicken-cluck electric guitar leads and cackling laugh. That year the 
Country Music Association named him instrumentalist of the year.

"Amos Moses" was followed by "When You're Hot, You're Hot," the 1971 hit 
for which Reed won the Grammy for male country vocal. He won two others 
during his life for duets with Atkins.

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A video collage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T68z65GQbRk

"Amos Moses"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7GyLr7Cz2g

"East Bound and Down"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij1H1j2_Nlw

"When You're Hot, You're Hot"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQQHP0VPODc

"She Got the Goldmine, I Got the Shaft"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-p0zn3PijY

Rest well, Jerry.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
"We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college 
students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."

- Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)


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