JERRY REEDJerry Reed, who died on 1 September, 2008, aged 71, was a performer who influenced the culture of America's southern states in several ways.Primarily he was an award-winning country singer and guitarist whose lively, quirky hits enjoyed crossover appeal and were recorded by, among others, Memphis' favourite son Elvis Presley. He went onto to play guitar on Elvis's Too Much Monkey Business (1968) album.And during the 1970s and '80s he had a second career as an actor, his most memorable part being truck driver Cledus 'Snowman' Snow, cohort of Burt Reynolds in the iconic film Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and its two sequels. He also recorded the theme song, East Bound and Down.Between his break in 1967 and his death, he made around 40 albums and had as many hits on the country chart. His kooky 1971 single When You're Hot, You're Hot reached the mainstream top ten and also won him a Grammy, the first of three - the albums Me and Jerry (1972) and Sneakin' Around (1993), both collaborations with guitarist Chet Atkins, were his other prize-winning successes.Jerry Reed Hubbard was born on 20 March, 1937, in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents split shortly after his birth and he spent seven years in foster care, but was reunited with his mother when she remarried in 1944.He began playing guitar as a child and by 16 his fast, finger-picking guitar playing had developed to the stage where he was signed by Capitol Records. He recorded several tracks with no success, but his songs were picked up by artist like Brenda Lee and Gene Vincent - the latter had a hit with Crazy Legs, a typically idiosyncratic Reed number.He moved to Nashville in 1961 and became one of the in-demand session and tour guitarists (it was at this time he first worked with Chet Atkins). Ironically it was Guitar Man - his single about a player unable to find work - that finally put him into the country charts in 1967.Elvis loved it, tried to cover it but failed. The rapid arpeggios that drove the song were just too fast and complicated, so Mr Reed himself was called into the studio to record the number. Elvis was so delighted with the result that he immediately recorded US Male, a track off The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed (1967) and invited Reed to play on his next album.Jerry Reed was first nominated for a Grammy for 'Best Male Country Vocal Performance' for his eclectic 1971 single Amos Moses, a mix of Louisianan roots and rock 'n' roll - it even featured a funk-style bass line. He took the award the following year with his follow-up When You're Hot, You're Hot, distinguished by its scratchy guitar and chirpy chorus line refrain. His other accolades include the Country Music Association's 'Musician of the Year' award in 1970 and 1971.In the late '70s he put his music on the back seat for a burgeoning acting career. His first acting experience was in a country music-themed episode of Scooby-Doo, but by the end of the decade he had been in several films, frequently playing nomadic figures in the Deep South, most notably 'Snowman', a renegade trucker who is hired by Bo 'Bandit' Darville to help him transport a truckload of beer across state lines in Smokey and the Bandit. By the third Smokey film (1983), Mr Reed had succeeded Burt Reynolds as 'The Bandit'.His recording career underwent a renaissance in the early '80s with hits like She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft) and The Bird, but it was short-lived and he last appeared in the country charts in 1983. Nevertheless he continued to make albums, tour and act. His last film appearance was in The Waterboy (1998) but his songs continued to be used on film and television soundtracks.He died in Nashville, Tennessee of complications from emphysema shortly after completing the album The Gallant Few, a charity record raising money for wounded veterans. He was survived by Priscilla, his wife of 49 years, two daughters, Sedina and Lottie, and two grandchildren.
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