Concert: Guitar Man: A Tribute to Jerry Reed
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Concert: Guitar Man: A Tribute to Jerry Reed
Special Program
May 5, 2012
Seven accomplished guitarists, all deeply influenced by the late Jerry Reed, took turns paying tribute to the Georgia-born picker in a program held Saturday, May 5, in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Ford Theater. Reed, who died in 2008, would have been seventy-five on March 20 this year. John Knowles-like Reed a Chet Atkins-designated cgp (certified guitar player)-opened the concert, which was hosted by guitarist and Reed devotee Richard Smith. A jacket and guitar that belonged to Reed were placed stage left, in Reed's honor. "Some of the best times in my life were spent learning a new Jerry Reed tune," Knowles told the capacity audience.
Each player performed two or three songs, most drawn from Reed's vast repertoire of original instrumentals. Mark Thornton, who worked in Reed's band for many years, played "Twitchy" and a tune known as "Nawbone" before its name was changed to "Little Jerry" in honor of Reed's grandson. Sean Weaver offered "Reedology." Craig Dobbins, who teaches guitar in Gadsden, Ala., and has authored guitar books devoted to Reed, chose "City of New Orleans" and "Pickie, Pickie, Pickie." When Reed did someone else's song, said Darrell Toney, "he put his fingerprints on it." Toney did a Reed-inspired version of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" and "Talk About the Good Times." Then he brought up Reed's daughter, Seidina, who said, "This is the most wonderful thing. Thank you for honoring my dad's life." Then she performed Reed's "Almost Crazy."
Host Richard Smith followed with Reed's "The Mad Russian," "A Thing Called Love" (with his wife, Julie Adams, on cello), "Swingin' 69," "Squirrely," and "Georgia on My Mind." Thom Bresh, son of Merle Travis, closed the program with a dead-on imitation of Chet Atkins and performances of "Good Friends and Neighbors," "Reed Between the Strings" (a Bresh-composed tribute song) and a medley of Reed's "Amos Moses" and "When You're Hot You're Hot." For the finale, Dobbins, Thornton, Smith, and Bresh joined Toney for "Guitar Man."
