Guitar Man

The Guitar Man is gone. Jerry Reed who was most famous as The Snowman in Smokey & the Bandit passed away today from complications related to emphysema. He was 71. I still remember going to see Smokey in a movie theater in Beaumont with my mom and dad and grandparents. While it would definitely qualify for a PG-13 today, I was 11 and laughed till I cried. Jerry Reed was a large part of the reason that I saw it 8 times. In the theater. (The sequels were abominations and besmirched the legacy of the classic original.)

The wise-cracking, life of the party good ol' boy was definitely a part of who he was. But there was so much more to him. Behind the humor and the Snowman personna was a genuine artist. His guitar-manship was absolutely jaw-dropping--even when all you had was the audio, you knew that his was a unique gift. If you ever got to see him play--I mean, really play--live, then you knew you were in the presence of someone and something really special. I've included a YouTube clip just as a little sampler (for the uninitiated, Jerry's wearing the hat):



Jerry played a role in my childhood, and I'm sure my appreciation for his talent grew out of my relationship with my dad who first introduced me to him on the LP Jerry Reed's Greatest Hits. Especially on his version of "Georgia On My Mind" and his trademark instrumental "The Claw," his skill and artistry were on full display.

Because of the times in my life that his music and movies are connected to, there's a little sadness that he's passed on. But you really can't listen to his music or watch his movies and stay sad for long. He was very open about his faith in Christ and so there's the deepest joy in knowing that the heavenly angel band just added a phenomenal picker on lead guitar.

Guess who's leading that five-piece band
Well, wouldn't you know
It's that swinging little guitar man