Jerry Reed Invented Hip-Hop
... and how he made my night at a Toastmasters convention.
Hey, Y’all! Greetings from Nashville (a.k.a. “Music City USA”).
For several years, I’ve theorized that the late great Jerry Reed was the true inventor of hip-hop.
Born Jerry Reed Hubbard in Atlanta, he and his wife Priscilla moved to Nashville in 1962 after completing his enlistment in the U.S. Army. By the late 1960s, Reed took Nashville by storm as a singer, songwriter, and session musician.1
You probably remember him as the trucker “Snowman” from “Smokey and The Bandit” (SATB) and the movie’s theme song “East Bound and Down”.
Reed co-wrote “East Bound…” with Dick Feller (now known as Deena Kay Rose) for SATB. It became Reed’s second biggest hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard country charts.2
In 1967, Elvis Presley recorded Reed’s song “Guitar Man” which was featured in the famous ‘68 comeback special. The song was recorded at legendary RCA Studio B in Nashville.
Not only did Reed write the song, he also played lead guitar on the session. According to legend, the original lead guitar player was unable to replicate the sound from Reed’s original recording. Reed had been out fishing that day and received word that he was wanted in the studio. Not stopping to change clothing, he went straight to the studio and did his legendary “claw-hammer” guitar magic.3
Reed also became close friends with Burt Reynolds, with whom he co-starred not only in SATB, but also “W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings” and “Gator”.4
So… Did Jerry Reed invent hip-hop?
If you listen to “Amos Moses” and “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” (his biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard country chart), you can definitely get a feel of how Reed incorporated funky beats in his music.
Please listen to the songs and feel free to give your thoughts.
In 1994 at the Toastmasters International convention in Louisville, Kentucky, Reed was the performer during the Friday fun night. His band included his wife Priscilla on the keyboards.
Toward the end of his show, he was trying to decide what play next. I yelled out “AMOS MOSES!”, which he responded “AMOS?!!!”. After briefly telling the story of how he wrote the song, he went right into the song. Thank you, Jerry Reed, for making my night!
Reed passed away in 2008 at the age of 71. He and his wife (who died in 2014) rest in peace together in the mausoleum at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville. Here’s a photo I took when I visited back in 2009…
You can see an updated photo on Priscilla’s Find A Grave page.
In 2017, Reed was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Jerry Reed, thank you for sharing your God-given talent with us and may you and your bride rest in His eternal peace.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and until next time, please be kind to one another and…
Peace Out, Y’all!
“Jerry Reed, Country Music Hall of Fame”. https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/jerry-reed
“East Bound and Down”, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bound_and_Down
“Jerry Reed and The Importance of Elvis Presley’s Guitar Man Sessions”, Elvis Australia website. https://www.elvis.com.au/presley/jerry-reed-and-elvis-guitar-man-sessions.shtml
“Jerry Reed - 1970s”, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Reed#1970s