Rugged Stuff

Remembering Jerry Reed

By R. Keith Rugg, 9-04-08

	Jerry Reed died as a result of of complications from emphysema on September 2, 2008, at the age of 71.

Welcome and howdy.  Rugged Stuff is a new community blog at New West, focusing attention on country music, for the most part, but with a nod to other arts (visual, performing and literary) and culture that might be of interest to those living in cowboy country.

As much as I dislike beginning a new endeavor with news of a death, there’s no way I can let the passing of Jerry Reed go by without comment. 

While Jerry Reed might not have been the biggest hit-maker or the top touring act of the genre, he was a mainstay on the country music scene from the 1950s on, as guitar player, singer, writer and more, with hits Amos Moses and When You’re Hot, You’re Hot.

Reed also had more than a fistful of acting credits to his name, between the small screen and the silver screen.  He’s best known for being Burt Reynolds’ trucking buddy in Smokey and the Bandit, a movie that also featured what may very well be his most popular song, Eastbound and Down. More recently, Reed appeared as a football coach in Adam Sandler’s Waterboy.

I saw Jerry Reed perform in Elko, Nev., in the early 1990s; it was probably ’91 or ’92.  During this time, he was on the road with about 80 shows a year.  While Elko might be the bustling hub of Elko County and northeastern Nevada, that’s mostly because it’s the only game in town, although it was selected as the No. 1 Small Town in America in the early ‘90s.  Jerry performed in the lounge at the Holiday Inn; small venue and small audience.  All of which was great for me, because it made the show more up-close and personal. 

I was hoping he’d be dressed like he was for his role in Smokey and the Bandit. His look in the movie- that criss-cross pattern, lightweight Western shirt and the cool sideburns- sort of defined ‘trucker fashion’ for during my childhood. It wasn’t just what was in the media’s portrayals of trucking, such as television’s Movin’ On, or another Jerry Reed trucking movie, High Ballin’. The truckers I knew in real life all dressed this way, too.  So I was kind of disappointed when he came out in a costume that looked straight out of Las Vegas.  He had on a polyester-looking pastel jacket and slacks outfit with a silk shirt halfway unbuttoned and gold jewelry showing through.

The performance, however, was great.  The small room did make for an intimate atmosphere, and Jerry was witty, charming and personable.  His wife was actually on keyboards for the show, and he encored with Eastbound and Down.

It’s always fun to find local connections to the performers, in this case, links between Jerry Reed and the Rocky Mountains.  Here’s one that is probably quite a stretch, but has special meaning to me because it brings back memories from my childhood.  When I was a kid growing up on the rez (that’s ‘Indian Reservation’ to you, unless you’re New West blogger Troy Doney, and then you can call it whatever you want to…), my folks and grandfolks had several copies of the novel Stay Away Joe on bookshelves all around the houses.  The book was by Montana novelist Dan Cushman and was a comic farce about a guy coming back from the Korean war to his home on a Montana reservation.  It was made into an Elvis movie of the same name, the King’s 26th film.  Reportedly, Jerry did some of the music on the movie, and Elvis performed Reed’s U.S. Male for the film.  So, there’s my favorite Jerry Reed – Rocky Mountains link, his involvement with the Elvis Presley film, Stay Away Joe, which was derived from a book by one of Montana’s literary greats.  (In 1998, Cushman received the H. G. Merriam Award for Distinguished Contributions to Montana Literature.)

Jerry and Elvis had quite a connection.  Elvis liked Reed’s picking so much that he brought him in to do some of the studio work for his songs, and later on a lot of Reed’s television appearances were in conjunction with looks back at the King’s career.

So there’s some ruminations on Jerry Reed.  Now go rent Smokey and the Bandit, or one of the sequels.  Or if you enjoy making those connections between Reed and the Rockies, try to track down a copy of Concrete Cowboys, with Reed and Tom Selleck as a pair of Montana cowboys who head to Nashville.  Also stars Morgan Fairchild, and has a ton of country music stars in it.  Also known as Ramblin’ Man, and also packaged as Concrete Cowboy.

Me, I think I’ll put on my old straw hat and cheer Jerry Reed’s memory with a Coors.  (See, there’s yet another link between Jerry to the Rockies.  See how much fun it is once you get the hang of it?)

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.