Jerry Reed was a good old boy. Indeed, he may have been the prototype. A very funny and good looking man, Reed was a natural. He was a staple on television and in movies, most notably in the Smokey and the Bandit films with Burt Reynolds.
Jerry Reed had a lot in common with Glen Campbell. Both were extraordinary guitarists who could have earned good livings as studio musicians and both used their good looks to great advantage. Campbell was good-natured and friendly on television (and reportedly in real life). Reed was downright funny. The ultimate good ol’ boy starred with Burt Reynolds in the “Smokey and the Bandit” films. “The Essential Jerry Reed” has his two best-known songs: “When You’re Hot You’re Hot” and “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft.”) Click here or on the image for Amazon and here for iTunes. A great example of Reed’s skills is the song “Struttin’.” Here is a link to it on YouTube (it is disabled for embedding). Above is Eastbound and Out” recorded live in 1982.
Below is a nice Chuck Berry medley. I am a firm believer that what unites music is far, far more than what separates it. To see a white country player performing songs from an African-American early rock and roll star in front of what in a brief crowd shot appears to be an all-white audience makes the point very potently. The clip, from The Porter Wagoner Show, seems to be from the early or mid-1960s. Paul Yandell is the very good guitarist who actually does most of the heavy lifting.
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