Random Thought: Anybody else miss Jerry Reed?

[PawPaw]

He's hard to miss, I listen to him all the time. We've got a classic country station in this area and he's on it all the time.

He had a long way to go and a short time to get there. I'd loved to have shared a six-pack with him.

[Netpackrat]

Yeah.

[Greg]

I miss the guys talent absolutely... But I think I miss his attitude and spirit more.

It just seems like very few musicians are really having fun anymore.

There are some musicians who are appealing for just that reason. Like Brad Paisley.

[Greg]

True enough.... Doesn't hurt that Paisley is a great guitar player himself, and has a sense of humor.

Country artists in general do seem to have... Or at least express... More personality and have more fun.

Blake Shelton may be absolutely miserable offstage (from what I understand he's a womanizer with a drinking problem... That generally indicates some unhappiness issues), but he seems to have a heck of a good time on stage.

Trace Adkins as well... He has to be having a great time.

Country doesn't seem to have bought into that whole 'suffering artist' thing, thank goodness.

It's very unfortunate that teenagers (of all ages) seem to be the ones who account for most of the money spent on music. And we know what *those* idiots are like. I wonder if there's any connection between the decreased actual hardship teenagers are forced to endure, and the more all of popular culture sounds like Morrissey.

[Jericho941]

Pfft, not even close.

Music is all about the "hook" now. Notice how everything just seems to be like 2-3 very short verses and a chorus repeated ad nauseam? It's because the only songs labels want are designed to get shoved in your head and stay there. The songs are basically planned by committee, which is why you see really simplistic, awful songs with a catchy hook credited with 5 or more writers.

If the artists seem like they're not having fun, it's probably because they have to shut up and color if they don't want to quickly disappear from everywhere but iTunes.

There are far worse ways to earn a living, and for FAR less money, of course. But being on shown all over the world singing the dumbest possible crap that's nothing like what you actually want to do has to get pretty old in a hurry.

[Catbird]

He was a decent comedic actor as well.

I'm thinking of "Smokey and the Bandit" and " The Waterboy".

[evan price]

Phil Vassar would be rated right up there.

[arctictom]

Yup know what you mean , great artist and in his interviews seemed like a decent guy.

[First Shirt]

Sorry to be late for this one.

True story. The step-father of my best friend from high school was in the Army with Jerry Reed. In fact, they had the same first and last names, only the middle names were different (Gerald Reed, and Gerald Paul). While stationed in Hawaii, they put together a band, with my friend's dad on drums, and Jerry Reed on guitar and vocals. They didn't ever do anything with it, but they had a ball.

My buddy's family got Christmas cards from Jerry Reed every year, and when a new album would come out, he'd send them two autographed copies with instructions to sell one, if they could find a sucker!

Someone once asked him if he was the best guitar player in the world. He said "Naw, it's probably some kid, workin' at a fillin' station in south Georgia somewhere."

Yeah, he was one-off, that's for damn'd sure!