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.
When I Found You
Jerry Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just as lonely as I could be
I was a lonely little fellow
Lonely as I could be
I used to sit alone at home
And wish a gal would come and call for me
Yeah, but not anymore, not anymore
Since I found you, it's a different score
All my dreams come true
Honey baby, when I found you
When I found you, ooh!
Well, didn't have no one to love me
Nobody I could call my own
Didn't have no one to love me
Nobody I could call my own
No, I didn't have no one to care
Used to spend my evenings all alone
But when I found you, when I found you
I knew my days of being all alone were through
When I found you, when I found you
All my dreams come true
Honey baby, when I found you, you
When I found you, ooh!
Well, well, well, well, well
When I found you, when I found you
I knew my days of being all alone were through
When I found you, when I found you
All my dreams come true, honey baby, when I found you
The song "When I Found You" by Jerry Reed is a love song that describes the feeling of loneliness and how that changed after finding someone special. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, conveying the message of how the singer's life has changed after he found the love of his life. Jerry Reed sings about his past loneliness, sitting alone at home and wishing for someone to come and call for him. But then, he found that special someone and everything changed. The singer's dreams started to come true, and he no longer felt alone.
The lyrics of the song sound like a personal story of the singer's life. Jerry Reed sings with a lot of emotion and passion, making the listeners feel the depths of his words. The song will strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt lonely and longed for someone to come and make their life complete. The song is a tribute to love, and the transformative power it can bring to a person's life. It shows how love can change everything and make even the loneliest of people feel like they have found their place in the world.
In summary, "When I Found You" is a song about finding love and how that can change a person's life for the better. It is a simple but powerful message that is conveyed through the lyrics and the singer's passionate delivery.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a lonely little fellow
I was a solitary guy who lacked companionship
Just as lonely as I could be
I experienced utmost loneliness
I used to sit alone at home
I used to spend time by myself in my house
And wish a gal would come and call for me
I wished for a girl to show up and want to spend time with me
Yeah, but not anymore, not anymore
Things have changed for me
Since I found you, it's a different score
Ever since I met you, my life has become better
All my dreams come true
Everything I hoped for has been fulfilled
Honey baby, when I found you
My dear, when I came across you
Well, didn't have no one to love me
I did not have anyone to care about me
Nobody I could call my own
I lacked someone who was mine
No, I didn't have no one to care
I wasn't cared for by anyone
Used to spend my evenings all alone
I would pass time by myself during evenings
I knew my days of being all alone were through
I realized that my days of loneliness were over
Honey baby, when I found you, you
My dear, when I came across you
When I found you, ooh!
Upon meeting you
Well, well, well, well, well
An expression of excitement
Writer(s): J. Reed
Contributed by Jackson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@davidg6297
Thank God for you tube bringing these gods back
@user-qb8wb5wx5w
Corrrrrr,,,,All Them Greats On The Wall,,,,,,Must A've Felt A Little "Intimidation❤❤❤
@lionheartroar3104
Jerry so underrated.
@wernerwolf3358
Super Song!!!
@jorgelillo2753
Reed always had the rythm in his blood
@jeffshaner5280
you hit it right on the head.
@derekwebber2775
Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez!
What a track !
20 odd years in dance halls..done a couple of competitions....been on the decks a bit......
NEVER HEARD THIS !!!
straight onto my top 10
Thanks for posting !
@markmarkofkane8167
Young Snowman!! ❤
@mitchcrancher6337
Takes me right back to the Boston arms in the early 90’s.
@johnchapman6013
Class ,,,, No Sorry ,,,, Masterclass .