When Jerry Reed died last year, we lost a great performer. He helped make Smokey and the Bandit I and II to be successful. He even made the crappy Smokey and the Bandit III enjoyable. He was without doubt an excellent actor and singer.

Loved that Smokey and the Bandit

He was a good ol' boy, fer shure.  Although I really can't stand redneck culture as it's a low, creepy embarassment to me as an American, there was something charming about this guy.  I guess it was because he was poking fun at the ethos of his primitive toilet bowl corner of our national ethos.  Actually, he was pretty amusing.  Too bad for him, because he wasn't that old.

Five stars as a guitar player, three for the movie career, so four overall. I didn't know he was dead. He had a great sense of humor and seemed to really love life. RIP Jerry Reed.

I couldn't have told anybody who Jerry Reed was, but the positive reviews he is receiving might prompt me to take a look at he and his music.

I can't say I was ever really a fan, but a few months ago, I bought a greatest hits compilation of his songs on CD, and it turned out to be a lot of nostalgic fun to listen to. As a teenager, I enjoyed the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies (well, the first one anyway), and I've just recently ordered the "Gator" DVD circa 1976 from Amazon. I only saw it once a long, long time ago, but I remember Reed played a villain in it against Burt Reynolds, and I enjoyed it at the time I saw it. From what I've read, Reed had a tough childhood, and it is sadly evident that he smoked cigarettes far, far longer than he should have. As I mentioned initially, it's sort of strange for me when it comes to thinking about Reed; I wasn't really a fan, but I enjoyed that work of his that I saw or listened to, and I'm sad to hear he's gone. R.I.P., Jerry.

Reed is one of the best guitarists of all time, and he could incorporate comedy in his songs in a way few other musicians ever have. He was also an underrated actor. Country music just lost a legend.