Jerry Reed

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Jerry Reed Hubbard (born March 20, 1937) is an American country music singer, country guitarist, songwriter, and actor. He has appeared in over a dozen films. As a singer, he may be best remembered for his novelty song "When You're Hot, You're Hot" for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1972. As an actor, he is remembered for his role as Burt Reynolds's buddy (nicknamed "Snowman") in the Smokey and the Bandit movies.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Reed was born in Pallmetto, Georgia, the second child of Robert and Cynthia Hubbard. Reed's parents separated four months after his birth and he and his sister spent seven years in foster homes or orphanages. Reed was reunited with his mother and stepfather in 1944. Music and impromptu performances helped ease the stressful times the new family was under.

By high school, Reed was already writing and singing music; 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. With Capitol Records he recorded both country and rockabilly singles to little notice until label mate Gene Vincent covered his "Crazy Legs" in 1958. By 1958, Lowery signed Reed to his National Recording Corporation, and he recorded for NRC as both artist and as a member of the staff band, which included other NRC artists Joe South and Ray Stevens.

Jerry married Priscilla (Prissy) Mitchell in 1959. They have two daughters - Lottie and Seidina.

After a two-year tenure in the military, Reed moved to Nashville in 1961 to continue his songwriting career, which had continued to gather steam even as he was in the armed forces thanks to Brenda Lee's 1960 cover of his "That's All You Got to Do." He also became a popular session and tour guitarist. In 1962, he scored some success with the singles "Goodnight Irene" and "Hully Gully Guitar," which found their way to Chet Atkins, who produced Reed's 1965 "If I Don't Live Up to It." In 1967, he notched his first chart hit with "Guitar Man," which Elvis Presley soon covered. After Presley recorded another of Reed's songs, "U.S. Male,"the songwriter recorded an Elvis tribute, "Tupelo Mississippi Flash," which proved to be his first Top Twenty hit. He played the guitar for Elvis Presley's, Too Much Monkey Business (1968)

[edit] 1970s

After releasing the 1970 crossover hit "Amos Moses," a hybrid of rock, country and cajun styles, Reed teamed with Atkins for the duet LP Me and Jerry. During the 1970 television season, he was a regular on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and in 1971 issued his biggest hit, the chart-topper "When You're Hot, You're Hot," which was also the title track of his first solo album. A second collaboration with Atkins, Me and Chet, followed in 1972, as did a series of Top Forty singles, which alternated between frenetic, straightforward country offerings and more pop-flavored, countrypolitan material. A year later, he scored his second number one single, "Lord, Mr. Ford," (written by Dick Feller) from the album Lord, Mr. Ford.

Atkins, who frequently produced Reed, remarked that he had to encourage Reed to put instrumental numbers on his own albums, as Reed always considered himself more of a songwriter than a player. But Atkins himself thought Reed was a better fingerstyle player than he himself was (Reed, according to Atkins, helped him work out the fingerpicking for one of Atkins biggest hits, "Yakety Axe".)

Jerry was even featured in animated form in a December 9, 1972 episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Phantom of the Country Music Hall" (prod. #61-10). He sung and played the song "Pretty Mary Sunlite". That song is played throughout the episode as Scooby and the gang search for the missing Jerry. Jerry guest-starred on the TV show Alice twice, both times playing himself.

In the mid-1970s, Reed's recording career began to take a backseat to his acting aspirations, and in 1974, he co-starred with his close friend Burt Reynolds in the film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. While he continued to record throughout the decade, his greatest visibility was as a motion picture star, almost always in tandem with headliner Reynolds; after 1976's Gator, Reed appeared in 1978's High Ballin' and 1979's Hot Stuff. He also co-starred in all three of the Smokey and the Bandit films; the first, which premiered in 1977, landed Reed a number two hit with the soundtrack's "East Bound and Down."

Reed also took a stab at hosting a TV variety show, filming two episdoes of "The Jerry Reed Show" in 1976. The show featured music performances and interview segments but did not contain comedy skits that usually was also a aprt of the variety shows of the 70s. Guests included Tammy Wynette, Ray Stevens and Burt Reynolds.

In 1979, he released a record comprised of both vocal and instrumental selections titled, appropriately enough, Half & Half. It was followed one year later by Jerry Reed Sings Jim Croce, a tribute to the late singer/songwriter.

[edit] 1980s and 1990s

In 1982, Reed's career as a singles artist was revitalized by the chart-topping novelty hit "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)", followed by "The Bird", which peaked at number two. His last chart hit, "I'm a Slave", appeared in 1983. After an unsuccessful 1986 LP, Lookin' at You, Reed focused on touring until 1992, when he and Atkins reunited for the album Sneakin' Around before he again returned to the road.

Jerry also guest-starred in the October 13, 1983 episode of Mama's Family, "The Return of Leonard Oates" (Episode 13, Season 2) as Naomi Harper's ex-husband Leonard Oates.

Jerry had a role as a Commander/Huey Pilot for Danny Glover's character in the 1988 movie Bat*21 starring Gene Hackman. Jerry also acted as Executive Producer on this film.

Jerry also starred in the 1998 Adam Sandler film, The Waterboy, as the head coach for the opposing team in the "Bourbon Bowl."

[edit] 2000s

In October 2004, Amos Moses featured on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack, playing on fictional radio station K-ROSE.

His latest recording was released in 2006, named Let's Git It On.

He has also appeared as a guest on the fishing television series Bill Dance Outdoors. In one memorable appearance, Reed caught a particularly big Largemouth Bass and planned to have it preserved and mounted by a taxidermist. The host objected to this plan, and freed the fish when Jerry wasn't looking. Reed became enraged when he discovered what had happened, and chased the host off the boat and to shore. This incident was also mentioned in one of Jeff Foxworthy's standup comedy routines.

[edit] Discography

  • The unbelievable guitar and voice of Jerry Reed (1967)
  • Nashville underground (1968)
  • Alabama wild man (1968)
  • Better things in life (1969)
  • Jerry Reed explores guitar country (1969)
  • Georgia sunshine (1970)
  • Cookin' (1970)
  • When you're hot, you're hot (1971)
  • Ko-ko Joe (1971)
  • Smell the flowers (1972)
  • Jerry Reed (1972)
  • Hot a' mighty! (1973)
  • Lord, Mr. Ford (1973)
  • The uptown poker club (1973)
  • A good woman's love (1974)
  • Mind your love (1975)
  • Red hot picker (1975)
  • Both barrels (1976)
  • Jerry Reed rides again (1977)
  • East bound and down (1977)
  • Sweet love feelings (1978)
  • Jerry Reed live! (1979)
  • Jerry Reed sings Jim Croce (1980)
  • Texas bound and flyin' (1980)
  • Dixie dreams (1981)
  • The man with the golden thumb (1982)
  • The bird (1982)
  • Ready (1983)
  • My best to you (1984)
  • What comes around (1985)
  • Lookin' at you (1986)
  • Flyin' high (1995)
  • Pickin' (1998)
  • Jerry Reed visits hit row (2000)
  • Finger dancing (2000)
  • Jerry Reed, live still! (2005)
  • Let's git it on (2006)

[edit] Reference

  • Goldsmith, Thomas. (1998). "Jerry Reed." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford Press. pp.433-4.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../j/e/r/Jerry_Reed_91c4.html"