Reed was born on the 20th March 1937 in Atlanta, Georgia, the second child of Robert and Cynthia Hubbard. Reed's parents separated four months after his birth, and he and his sister spent seven years in foster homes or orphanages. Reed was reunited with his mother and stepfather in 1944.
By high school (O'Keefe High School, Atlanta, Georgia) Reed was already writing and singing music, having picked up the guitar as a child. At the age of eighteen he was signed by publisher and record producer Bill Lowery to make his first record, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creeks Don't Rise". At Capitol Records, he recorded both country and rockabilly singles with little success, until label mate Gene Vincent covered his "Crazy Legs" in 1958. By 1958, Lowery signed Reed to his National Recording Corporation, and he recorded for NRC as both artist and as a member of the staff band, which included other NRC artists Joe South and Ray Stevens.
Reed married Priscilla Mitchell in 1959. They have two daughters, Charlotte Elaine Reed Stewart, and Seidina Ann Reed Hinesley.
After a two-year stint in the military, Reed moved to Nashville in 1961 to continue his songwriting career, which had continued to gather steam while he was in the armed forces, thanks to Brenda Lee's 1960 cover of his "That's All You Got to Do". He also became a popular session and tour guitarist. In 1962, he scored some success with the singles "Goodnight Irene" and "Hully Gully Guitar", which found their way to Chet Atkins, who produced Reed's 1965 "If I Don't Live Up to It".
In 1967 Reed had his first chart hit with "Guitar Man", which Elvis Presley soon covered. Presley had gone to Nashville to record in 1967, and one of the songs he was working on was "Guitar Man," which Reed had written and recorded. Jarvis hired Reed to play on the session. Reed also played the guitar for Presley's "Too Much Monkey Business" (1968), recorded at the same session. After Presley recorded another of Reed's songs, "U.S. Male", the songwriter recorded an Elvis tribute, "Tupelo Mississippi Flash", which became his first top-twenty hit.
After releasing the 1970 crossover hit "Amos Moses", a hybrid of rock, country, and Cajun styles, which reached number eight on the U.S. pop charts, Reed teamed up with Atkins for the duet LP Me & Jerry. During the 1970 television season, he was a regular on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and in 1971 he issued his biggest hit, "When You're Hot, You're Hot", which was also the title track of his first solo album and reached number nine on the pop charts.
A second collaboration with Atkins, Me & Chet, followed in 1972, as did a series of top-forty singles, which alternated between frenetic, straightforward country offerings and more pop-flavoured material. A year later, he scored his second number-one single with "Lord, Mr. Ford" (written by Dick Feller), from the album of the same name.
Reed was featured in animated form in a December 9, 1972 episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Phantom of the Country Music Hall". He sang and played the song "Pretty Mary Sunlite", which is played throughout the episode as Scooby and the gang search for Reed's missing guitar.
In the mid-1970s, Reed's recording career began to take a back seat to his acting aspirations. In 1974, he co-starred with his close friend Burt Reynolds in the film W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. While he continued to record throughout the decade, his greatest visibility was as a film star, almost always in tandem with headliner Reynolds; after 1976's Gator, Reed appeared in 1978's High Ballin and 1979's Hot Stuff, which won the Best Picture award from the Pawn Shop Association of America. He also co-starred in all three of the Smokey and the Bandit films; the first, which premiered in 1977, landed Reed a number-two hit with the soundtrack's "East Bound and Down".
Reed also hosted a television variety show, filming two episodes of The Jerry Reed Show in 1976. The show featured music performances and interview segments, but did not contain the comedy skits that usually were a part of variety shows of the 1970s. Guests included Tammy Wynette, Ray Stevens, and Burt Reynolds.
Reed died on the 31st August 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications from emphysema.
John Henry
Jerry Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sittin' on his mama's knee
Well he picked up a feather and a piece of steel
And said that's gonna be the death of me
Lord, Lord, Lord that's gonna be the death of me
Well John Henry had a little woman
Name of Polly Ann
Well John got sick had to lay down on the bed
Lord, Lord, Lord, Polly drove steel like a man
Well John Henry went up on the mountain
Well the mountain was sinkin' in
He said come on captain I know what I'm doin'
It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind
Lord, Lord, Lord, It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind
Well John Henry went up on the mountain
Lord the mountain was so high
He said we're gonna shake this steel drivin' down
Give me a cool drink of water before I die
Give me a cool drink of water before I die
Some say he came from England
Some say he came from Spain
But John Henry was nothin' but a Louisiana man
And he died with his hammer in his hand
Lord, Lord, Lord, he died with his hammer in his hand
Steel drivin' man, he died with his hammer in his hand
Lord ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind etc. etc.
The song "John Henry" by Jerry Reed is a tribute to the legendary American folk hero, John Henry, who was known for his strength and determination. The song begins with the tale of John Henry as a baby, when he picked up a feather and a piece of steel and declared that the steel would be the death of him. This foreshadows the fate of John Henry, who would eventually die while working on a railroad project.
The lyrics then describe John Henry's love interest, Polly Ann, who is depicted as a strong and capable woman. When John Henry falls ill, Polly takes up his mantle and begins driving steel like a man. This highlights the themes of gender equality and the strength of women.
The song then describes John Henry's famous battle with a mountain, which he compares to his hammer "sucking wind". The lyrics emphasize his determination and confidence in his skills. However, the final verse of the song reveals that John Henry eventually dies with his hammer in his hand.
Overall, the song "John Henry" is a powerful tribute to a legendary American hero, highlighting his strength, determination, and tragic fate.
Line by Line Meaning
When John Henry was a little baby
As a young child, John Henry was already showing signs of his destiny to be a steel-driving man.
Sittin' on his mama's knee
He was sitting on his mother's lap when he picked up a feather and a piece of steel, indicating his fascination with and love for the tools of his future trade.
Well he picked up a feather and a piece of steel
As a child, John Henry was incredibly interested in the tools of his future profession and had the desire to learn how to master them.
And said that's gonna be the death of me
Even as a young child, John Henry was aware of the risk and danger that comes along with being a steel-driving man, indicating his courage and fearlessness.
Well John Henry had a little woman
John Henry was married to Polly Ann.
Name of Polly Ann
His wife's name was Polly Ann.
Well John got sick had to lay down on the bed
John Henry eventually became ill and was forced to rest.
Polly drove steel like a man
During John Henry's illness, Polly Ann took up the steel-driving work and performed just as well as any man, a testament to her strength and dedication.
Well John Henry went up on the mountain
John Henry eventually returned to work as a steel-driving man.
Well the mountain was sinkin' in
The work of steel-driving was so intense that the mountain was sinking in, indicating the power and force required to do the job.
He said come on captain I know what I'm doin'
John Henry was confident in his abilities and knew what he was doing while on the job.
It ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind
John Henry's hammer was moving so fast and with such force that it sounded like it was sucking in wind, indicating the incredible strength and speed required for the work of steel-driving.
Lord the mountain was so high
The mountain that John Henry and the other steel-driving men were working on was extremely tall and difficult to work on.
He said we're gonna shake this steel drivin' down
John Henry was determined to complete the job and demolish the steel they were driving.
Give me a cool drink of water before I die
John Henry was incredibly exhausted and thirsty by the end of his work and wanted a refreshing drink of water to cool off before his inevitable death.
Some say he came from England
There are many different stories about John Henry's origins and birthplace.
Some say he came from Spain
Another story about John Henry's origins is that he came from Spain.
But John Henry was nothin' but a Louisiana man
Despite the many different stories and legends that surround his life, John Henry was a man from Louisiana.
And he died with his hammer in his hand
John Henry worked himself to death, still holding his trusty hammer in his hand, indicating his dedication and commitment to the work of steel-driving.
Steel drivin' man, he died with his hammer in his hand
John Henry was considered a legendary steel-driving man who gave everything he had to his work, even until the point of death.
Lord ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind etc. etc.
This line repeats earlier in the song, indicating the intense force required to drive steel and the toll such work takes on the body and soul of a worker like John Henry.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLARENCE L LEWIS, MORRIS LEVY, WAYMON GLASCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind