Jerry Reed: 1937 - 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 4:02PM
Colin Boyd in Obituary
Multiple Grammy-winning musician and part-time actor Jerry Reed has died from emphysema at the age of 71. Reed is perhaps best known for his role as Cledus "Snowman" Snow in the three Smokey and the Bandit movies and a spate of really kitschy novelty songs like "She Got the Goldmine, I Got the Shaft," "When You're Hot You're Hot," and "Amos Moses."

However, there's no denying the 70s country rock schmaltz appeal of "East Bound and Down," a hit Reed wrote and recorded for the first Bandit flick. Even though he was one of the first Nashville celebrities to pop up in Hollywood in the 1970s, Reed knew where his bread was buttered and in an interview from ten years ago, he admitted not being a very good actor. "I used to watch people like Richard Burton and Mel Gibson and think, `I could never do that.' When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."

You could also check out Reed's appearances on screen in movies as varied as Gator and The Waterboy, in which he played Coach Red Beaulieu.

Despite his goofy personality, Reed was a pretty damn terrific guitar player, and in fact, maybe it's because of his demeanor that his virtuosic playing takes a back seat in most people's minds. But check out this old clip of Reed tearing up a tune called "Lightning Rod."

And just because, here's Reed's guest stint on Scooby Doo, performing "Pretty Mary Sunlight." Awesome!

You'd think the animators would've at least filled all the seats in the arena. If I were the guest star, I'd be livid. Regardless, I dig me some Jerry Reed, so I'm sorry to see him go.

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