Jerry Reed: Actor and Singer Dies at Age 71

The talented actor and singer best known for his role in "Smokey and the Bandit", Jerry Reed, passed away Monday, September 1, 2008. He died as a result of complications from emphysema. Jerry Reed played guitar, wrote music, was an actor, and had a great sense of humor.

Reed was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and learned to play guitar when his mother bought him a $2 guitar at the age of 8. He later dropped out of high school to tour with Ernest Tubb and Faron Young. Hr signed his first recording contract at the young age of 17, with Capitol Records. In the mid 1960's he moved to Nashville, Tennessee and caught the eye of the talented Chet Atkins, who furthered his Nashville career.

Jerry Reed had a special talent for writing songs. Elvis Presley recorded two of his songs; "U.S. Male" and "Guitar Man" in 1968. In 1972 Johnny Cash recorded "A Thing Called Love", also written by Reed. Reed also wrote songs for Brenda Lee, Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and the Oak Ridge Boys.

Reed's country singing chart hits spanned from 1967 through 1983 and were all released under the RCA label. Some of his more popular songs included; "Amos Moses," "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "East Bound and Down," "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)" and "The Bird" , just to name a few. He continued his recoreding career into the late 1980's.

In his acting career he is most famous for his role as Burt Reynolds sidekick in the "Smokey and the Bandit" series of movies in the mid 1970's along with Sally Field. He also co-starred with Robin Williams and Walter Matthau in the comedy "The Survivors". He also starred as the disgruntled coach in the 1998 film "The Waterboy" alongside Adam Sandler.

Reed continued to perform on the road until the late 1990's, scheduling about 80 shows a year. He was once quoted as saying, "When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: money." Reed will be missed by many, both in Nashville and throughout the United States.