Tag: Guitar Man

A Finger Pickin’ Good Birthday

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Jerry Reed. Without a doubt, he was one of the best guitar pickers in Nashville!

Jerry Reed Hubbard was born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 20, 1937. By the time he was in high school he was writing songs and singing them. At 18 years old, he was signed to a record deal at Capitol Records by publisher and record producer Bill Lowery. He was being promoted as a “teen sensation” after recording some rockabilly songs in 1956. His label mate, Gene Vincent helped him get some notoriety as a song writer when he recorded Jerry’s song “Crazy Legs” in 1958.

I had the chance to interview him when I worked in country radio. If I had to rank all the interviews I’ve ever done, his would be in the top three. He was a joy to talk to and he had so many fantastic stories. One of those stories was about recording with Elvis.

In 1967, Jerry’s version of Guitar Man landed on the country chart and it caught the ear of Elvis. Elvis wanted to record the song. The story was recounted in the Tennessean when he passed away:

Reed recalled how he was tracked down to play on the Presley session: “I was out on the Cumberland River fishing, and I got a call from Felton Jarvis (then Presley’s producer at RCA Victor). He said, ‘Elvis is down here. We’ve been trying to cut “Guitar Man” all day long. He wants it to sound like it sounded on your album.’ I finally told him, ‘Well, if you want it to sound like that, you’re going have to get me in there to play guitar, because these guys [you’re using in the studio] are straight pickers. I pick with my fingers and tune that guitar up all weird kind of ways.'”

Jarvis hired Reed to play on the session. “I hit that intro, and [Elvis’s] face lit up and here we went. Then after he got through that, he cut [my] “U.S. Male” at the same session. I was toppin’ cotton, son.” Reed also played the guitar for Elvis Presley’s “Big Boss Man” (1967), recorded in the same session.

You can hear the distinct “Reed” sound that Elvis was looking for in the intro:

It is said that Jerry’s syncopated guitar playing style was influenced by Merle Travis and Earl Scruggs. This style was nicknamed the “claw”, due to the appearance of Reed’s hand as he played. The Claw also happens to be one of the coolest instrumentals that Jerry Recorded. You can hear that same sound heard in Guitar Man in The Claw.

Jerry was great friends with Chet Atkins and they played the song as a duet more than once. They did an album together which featured the song (and a funny video to accompany it):

…and they performed it live on TV quite a few times as well:

Jerry was an amazing talent. Thankfully, he left us plenty of music to enjoy. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Son!

Tune Tuesday – Guitar Man

It was 52 years ago today, on September 10, 1967, that Elvis Presley recorded the song “Guitar Man” in the RCA studios in Nashville.  The song was written and originally recorded by Jerry Reed (who went on to act in Smokey and the Bandit and other films).  Jerry’s version reached only #53 on the country chart that year, and Elvis would see much greater success with it.  Jerry enjoyed that success, too, because he was playing on the Elvis version.

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One of my favorite interviews I ever did was with Jerry Reed, shortly before he passed away.  I asked him about his connection with Elvis.  He told me that Elvis was in the studio trying to record the song.  He was unhappy with the way the guitar part sounded.  He kept telling the guitar player “That don’t sound like Reed’s record.”  Jerry’s version of the story is that the guitar player told Elvis, “If you want it to sound like Reed’s record – you better get Reed in here!”  (Another version of the story says that Elvis said, “Get me that redneck picker who’s on the original tune!”)

Jerry told me that he was out fishing or something and someone from his office was finally able to reach him by phone and said that Elvis wanted him in the studio.  Jerry said that he hadn’t shaved in days and walked into the studio looking a bit shaggy.  He said Elvis looked at him and said, “Lord, have mercy!  What is that?!”  Jerry went on to tell me, That he never thought of himself as a Nashville recording musician. He called himself a stylist. He said he had his own way of tuning.  He said “they were trying to record Guitar Man, and they couldn’t make it feel like my record.” He said that those players use picks, and he uses his fingers.  He said that once he “wound up his guitar” and got it all set he told me that “as soon as we hit the intro, you could see Elvis’ eyes light up he knew we had it”. (Jerry also played on other songs in that session including Big Boss Man)  It was so cool to hear Jerry tell this story!

In 1981, the song was re-recorded with Elvis’ vocal left intact.  That version went to #1 on the country charts.

Here is the song from 52 years ago:

Here is Jerry Reed’s original version:

Guitar Man

Guitar Man”

Well I quit my job down at the carwash I left my mama a goodbye note
By sundown I’d left Kingston with my guitar up under my coat
I hitchhiked all the way down to Memphis got a room at the YMCA
For the next three weeks I went a hauntin’ them night clubs
Lookin’ for a place to play
Well I thought my pickin’ would set ’em on fire
But nobody wanted to hire a guitar man

Well I nearly bout starved to death down in Memphis
I run out of money and luck
So I bummed me a ride down to Macon Georgia
On a overloaded poultry truck
I thumbed on down to Panama City
Started checkin’ out some of them all night bars
Hopin’ I can make myself a dollar makin’ music on my guitar
Got the same old story at them all night piers
There ain’t no room around here for a guitar man
We don’t need a guitar man son

So I slept in hobo jungles bummed a thousand miles of track
Till I found myself in Mobile Alabama at a club they call Big Jack’s
A little four piece band was jammin’ so I took my guitar and I sat in
I showed ’em what a band would sound like with a swingin’ little guitar man
Show ’em son

So if you ever take a trip down to the ocean find yourself down round Mobile
Well make it on out to the club called Jack’s if you got a little time to kill
Just follow that crowd of people you’ll wind up out on his dance floor
Diggin’ the finest little five piece group up and down the Gulf of Mexico
And guess who’s leadin’ that five piece band
Why wouldn’t you know it’s that swingin’ little guitar man yeah