British guitarist analyses Chet Atkins AND Jerry Reed's stupendous ability level! 

Because Jerry Reed was all about nothing but playing and having a good time doing it.

And coming from a Monster player like Clark, that's big.

Jerry Reed, the only man to pinch Tom Parker, oh he knew how good he was, he just knew how to live & keep it real👌

Now this is how country music used to be! My mom played country music every day. I was born in Nashville so song writing comes easy for me😊

He didn’t use his index finger! Constantly amazes me. He gave up his most valuable finger. And he played with the remaining three which leaves no anchor. It’s inconceivable to me. And when he composed he didn’t seem oriented to chords. He was amazing.

I agree. He did a great job In the movie Gator.

Yes Yeti!

So true

Jerry's the Main Man

Seemed like a nice fellow Too!

I saw him in 1997 at a free casino show in Biloxi. He was signing autographs after the show, and there were 8×10s for sale. I was too broke to buy one, so I rummaged through my wallet for something to get him to sign. All I came up with was the receipt from the phone company when I paid to have my phone turned back on, after being too broke to pay the bill. When I presented it to him to autograph and told him what it was, he just chuckled and said, "Don't worry, son. Been there many times myself." I got the Snowman's autograph. Hot damn!

Been a Jerry fan my entire life! Love this little story! I can totally hear his voice asking you the question!

That is awesome.

Jerry Reed is an unsung Music God! I was just listening to "East bound and Down", an actually great album.

@@lawrencelymanii6943 I grew up on Jerry Reed music because my dad had 4-5 albums. I now have a Jerry Reed CD collection and they weren't reproduced exactly to the original LPs but his '60s/'70s albums are simply mind-blowing projects. He always gave Chet Atkins props, but Chet admired and looked up to Jerry for many, many years. It'll cost you some money but go down that rabbit hole if you haven't. If you love guitar, you'll find an absolute gem somewhere in every project. In fact, most of my favorite songs are instrumentals or only album cuts. The radio singles are great, but my personal taste prefers some other album track on every project. But you're right, Jerry Reed was some kind of amazing and poorly recognized as a guitar wizard. In fact, if you look at it, Jerry didn't fit any genre. He was too rock for country, to country for rock, too electrified for bluegrass... I mean, he didn't fit jazz or blues either, and yet, some of his work is clearly classical/jazz influenced. He would use jazz style more than blues when creating a sad song, because Jerry wasn't a traditional string bender. He was a picker. He preferred to construct a run of notes to create his feel than to bend on a string and hold vibrato. Yes, he bent strings, but not in a bluesy fashion. He used string bending more like a "twang" expression. Jerry, Chet, and Roy... really miss those guys!

Jay Dee right on! I don’t really care very much for country. But I’m a huge fan of these two.

What? No Merle Travis?

Amen! RIP

Jim

You could very well add Ricky Scaggs and Vince Fill.

@@johnderekmitchell1510 Honorable mention Marty Stuart

Thanks!

😂👍

I keep thinking of the Lovin' Spoonful song 'Nashville Cats' - "there's thirteen hundred and fifty two Guitar pickers in Nashville… and any one that unpacks his guitar could play twice as better than I will."

And 999,900 of them don't have a clue of what they are doing.

Mark Grant, Jeff Beck is way beyond most guitar players, anyway. They can't touch him.

That is where Jimi Hendrix leaned to play guitar so well in 1962 according to Billy Cox.

Who is ‘they’?

Some critics of Jerry Reed. I've always looked at Jerry Reed, Roger Miller and even Ray Stevens as amazing players, and a lot of critics never took them seriously

Most people who seriously study guitar and are aware of country players know that Jerry Reed is one of the best guitar players that ever picked the instrument up.

This is a great thread, because the thrust of it is so true. Most people associate Jerry Reed as just a second-rate comedic actor and an all-around, knee-slapping hillbilly. However, ff you play and study guitar seriously, you already know that Jerry Reed rivaled the virtuosity and music arranging skills of Chet Atkins. While Jerry Reed was hamming it up in southern-fried movies and the mid to late 70's talk-show circuit, there were literally countless instructional manuals produced and guitarists dedicated to breaking down and mastering the very sophisticated and complex guitar and song-writing styles that Jerry Reed employed. He was way beyond your average picker and grinner. He was also a true virtuoso. He just didn't make a big deal of it.

Definitely! Just did one with Jerry tonight 👍

He says "pray folks", not "pray for me" lol

@@koleyturner5197 Same thing......that meant pray for him.

@@tonydardi332 lol and? Same meaning different wording

@J T me to brother, I'm a Tennessean and always have been, I wouldn't trade it for the world, what about you?

I know what you mean! The joy they express while playing shows through!

Watch some of Tommy Emannuel..! Wanna see someone who loves what he's doing>???

I needed a pick me up so I pulled up Chet, Jerry you can't lose watching these greats.

@@kellysmith3628 I've come across so many people who had no idea Jerry played music. They thought he was just an actor. I tell them no, he's one of the premier guitar players in the world.

Chet was very humble. He was very impressed by Tommy Emmanuel

Thanks! Unfortunately I can't do Jimi because of the copyrights, it's annoying!

Amen!!

Amen!!!

@@jeffkama Grande Prairie?

sejrec56 respect

I'm not putting Brian Setzer in the same class as these two, but he has the similar persona of a fun loving showman that overshadows the skill of his playing.

Yes Fil great explanations

Thanks!

LMFAO

"Hold onto ya ass Fred"

tiffsaver Great song.

Wasn’t it the flip side of Sumner in the City on the 45?

Lol….we still do that song. “Can pick more notes than the number of ants on a Tennessee ant hill…..”

Cool! No problem!

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When you're hot your hot

Never knew Jerry was that good!!

@@Colsoloact-po9wv Both were great on 5-string banjo,too.

Thanks!

That's what made me sub to his channel. He recognizes true talent no matter who is playing nor the genre. Pull together all you can from as many sources as you can. Then make it yours. Great channel - Peace!

I've just started watching these vids, and this guy has it together. I'm 50 years old and have heard some of the best to ever pick up a guitar play, but this young man has a love for technique and music in general. Keep the videos coming, and I'll keep watching. Have a blessed day.

Lol... Amen brother. .. I've forgotten more than a lot of these kids know today... They should check out Check out Merle Travis...Django Reinhardt.

Totally agree Blank, you can hear the passion in his voice.

Amen.

Along with a female country music artist named Barbara Mandrell you should check her music out she is absolutely phenomenal

I would have to add Merle Travis.

Thanks!

Agreed!

Cool!

That is true. He used a different tuning on a couple of the strings and then, of course , he is Jerry and nobody plays like Jerry.

And, he got away with not having to sell half the rights to Elvis... he was the only musician to get one over on The Colonel.

Thanks Jim!

Good Lord...you ain't kiddin!

Hell no not at all!

@@josephvega3763 what do you mean?

@charlescarter9597 I meant that I ain't kiddin at all...those were some serious badasses

😂👍

You and me both!

To be honest, I could play those sweeps as a teen. But took me years to develop Jerry's monstrous chops

No problem!

Thanks!

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. ❤️👍

No problem!

@@wingsofpegasus I heard a story about Les Paul that another rival guitar player came in to watch, or as Les put it, steal his moves. When Les saw the player come in he took his handkerchief out and threw it over his playing hand so the other guitar player couldn't see what he was doing. So Les played the rest of his set like that. Joe Walsh said in an interview that when he wants to know how good a guitar player is he watches their right hand and how good they were with that then he would know how good the player was.

I think that there are a lot of people who just don't know it!

Mama tried!

@@allanrussack4143 cow patty!

Yes, he was very good!

👍

No problem!

Thanks!

He was a sessionist at RCA for a while in the 1960s and played of MANY MANY songs. Chet was very very fond of him and often said he was the better

Thanks!

Thanks!

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Thanks!

👍

I agree, at least it has a tune

As good as I think palm muting and distortion sounds, it does feel like a crutch or just filler until I can find a chord. I can feel the gaps in my knowledge while I'm playing.

Alexander Eisen you must be a blue grass player

It is nice and melodic

No problem!

Amen!

You said a mouthful right there, Stephanie!

I'm a drummer (whose main focus currently is studying AfroCuban and Latin Funk) ... who loves Bluegrass (a genre that is generally absent any formal percussion parts).

Thanks!

No problem!

👍

I like that one too

The bird

👍

I would put the late Great Mac Davis in there to. He had a great 10 year run with Legendary Producer, Rick Hall at Fame Studios.

@@wingsofpegasus just a bunch of Southern boys having fun!

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Thanks! No problem!

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Not a big fan of the style myself, tho I love the Scotch-Irish music Blue Grass was partly derived from. But man, you cant deny the musicianship. Earl Scruggs not only changed forever the way the banjo was played, but he was a hell of a guitarist as well. And listening to Bill Monroe sing is like nails down a blackboard for me but the guy could flat out play the mandolin

@@sonnymaupin9267 I'm with ya 100%...lol, but you're right! Those guys are highly skilled! I was amazed the first time I actually watched a live bluegrass band. Not big time pros either...local guys, just rippin up and down the fret boards! I fell in love with the stand up bass too. Just something about the sound when they play live...it's awesome!👍😎🎸🎶

74dart man Doc Watson and his son Merle were the guitarists for me that made me a huge bluegrass fan. It's truly great music.

Bluegrass players are among the cleanest players around and bluegrass requires precision.

@AWelsh Celt bull fucking shit Chet was the greatest of all time name me a guy thats better

SUGAR LIFE Glenn Campbell, Roy Clark among others.

Amen.

JERRY REED is on so many recordings!!! From Mo Town to East Bond and Down!!!

And it was JERRY who wrote The Guitar Man for ELVIS.

Eastbound and down, baby!

ha hah hah ha haaaaaaa

Thanks!

Thanks! ☺

No problem!

No problem!

Thanks!

No problem!