Jerry Reed

A rascally presence in music and film for over four decades, Jerry Reed was a highly respected guitarist and songwriter who parlayed a string of humorous country-pop singles in the 1970s into a successful second career as an actor in films like "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977). A gifted guitarist who employed the fingerpicked playing style of technical wizards like Merle Travis, Reed began recording as a teenager in the 1950s before hitting his stride as a songwriter the following decade with songs like "Guitar Man" and "A Thing Called Love," which became hits for Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, respectively. Reed's own singing career took off in 1970 with "Amos Moses," a humorous tall tale that hinged on his wry, cracker-barrel delivery; the chart-topping "When You're Hot, You're Hot" soon followed, as did supporting turns opposite Burt Reynolds in "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings" (1974), "Gator" (1976) and the hugely popular "Smokey" films. Reed's acting and music careers slowed in the 1980s, during which he concentrated on touring, though he would win a Grammy in 1998 for a collaboration with fellow guitar wizard Chet Atkins, as well as co-star with Adam Sandler in "The Waterboy" (1998) before his death in 2008. Celebrated for his humor, songwriting and guitar skills, Reed was a much-loved entertainment figure whose best efforts brought considerable joy to audiences.