RIP Snowman

A small, ok maybe very small, part of my childhood/teen years has now passed. On 9/1Jerry Reed passed away at 71. He was part of my life for various reasons.

I remember seeing him as a kid on television alot, and remember some of his big hits from the early 1970s. These were mostly 'novelty' type songs such as "Amos Moses," "When You're Hot, You're Hot," and so forth.

I specifically remember my mother, who was a smoker, buying his record "Another Puff," - an excessively silly rant about his trying to quit smoking.

As the 70s wore on, Reed became something of a movie actor, most notably on the "Smokey and the Bandit" Series with Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason. EVERYONE of my age group saw that movie. It is one of those that a lot of people can quote from line for line. And of course, the theme song "East Bound and Down" was a big hit for Reed.

As the eighties rolled in, he continued to have a few hits, including the No. 1 hit novelty song "She Got the Goldmine, I Got the Shaft."

Another memory of mine is on weekend mornings watching outdoor shows - notably Bill Dance. That theme song from Bill Dance, "Today is Mine" - that was Reed.

Finally, in the early 1990s, Mrs. Philosopher and I took a trip to the Dallas - Ft. Worth area to visit some friends. We went to Billy Bob's one night to see the ol' Snowman in concert. We were all fairly sure that he was about the drunkest guy in Billy Bob's that night. He came on stage holding a bottle of beer. As the crowd cheered, he walked up to the mic and, looking at his bottle mumbled "What...in....the....hayull....is....."Lone....Star....Beer?"

He spent about ten minutes or more rambling before he started playing music. When he did play, he was actually pretty good, but he talked waaaaayyyy too much. We have all kidded since then that the Jerry Reed Concert was the best we've ever been to.

However, in all this what is lost, in fact unknown to many people, is that Jerry Reed was a phenominal talent. He was one of the most incredible guitarists to ever grace the stage. He was something of a protege of Chet Atkins. In my opinion, as a guitarist, Chet Atkins wouldn't hold a candle to him. Amidst all the B grade acting, all the silly, senseless hit songs, lied a man of rare, all too rare, musical ability.

Jerry wrote and recorded "Guitar Man" - which became a huge hit for Elvis. He also wrote tons of songs that Chet Atkins himself actually recorded. Go to Youtube, do a search. Look for "The Claw", "Jerry's Breakdown" or others.

I have saved you the trouble and placed a few representative cuts here. Some of the sillies, along with some of the unbelievable playing. Their not labeled, so you just click and see what you get.

I last heard Reed on the Rick and Bubba Show about a year or so ago. His previously wild, fast talking was now slow and deliberate. He sadly told how he could not longer play the guitar due to arthritis. He talked about how he worked with some sort of group recognizing and honoring our war veterens. He hilariously spoke about "Smokey", Burt Reynolds, Jackie gleason, etc. Overall, though, he seemed contented, blessed, fairly serious, and reverent. It was good to hear.



RIP Snowman!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOGiW-y-Vhs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ1Ggt5f28o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8KBhnebwE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN8dP4CoFaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04RJyFCg7ks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcoeGjrL-r8