Retro Redux: Jerry Reed And His Friend Mr. Smirky

It seems to me that there have always been actors I like to call "Mr. Smirky". You know the kind of guy I'm talking about — they appear in a lot of movies and are very popular with their fans, but always seem to play a variation of the same character. He's smooth, cracks wise, and always seems to be smiling, winking, and fomenting an inside joke. A good example of a current Mr. Smirky would be Matthew McConaughey, who can't seem to get through a movie without, well, smirking — usually after taking off his shirt.

Which brings me to an earlier Mr. Smirky. (Who will in turn lead to our musical subject, so be patient.) He wasn't the first, but Burt Reynolds was probably the quintessential example of the type — winking, smiling, and cruising his way through movie after movie. It became his curse after a while because it ended up making it very difficult for him to get any serious consideration as an actor. Still, he made a lot of loot from movies such as Smokey And The Bandit and its sequels.

And that finally leads to our featured musician, a guitar virtuoso named Jerry Reed. That's right, the guy who matched Burt smirk for smirk in lots of those movies (and who made a few of his own). He was so talented a picker that he was known earlier in his career as "The Guitar Man". He actually began his career in the late 1950s, but after a stint in the service his career started to gain traction in the early 1960s as a songwriter and session player in Nashville. He worked his way into solid success, and even hooked up with guitar guru Chet Atkins, who eventually joined him on a couple of albums.

Article Author: Big Geez

Big Geez is a retiree who takes time off from trimming his ear hair to write about music -- sometimes doing conventional reviews, but often just sharing his opinions about how something resonates with his memories and those of his generation. …

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