Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed (1937–2008) was an American country singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor born in Atlanta, Georgia. Influenced by Merle Travis and Earl Scruggs, he developed a highly syncopated fingerpicking style nicknamed "the claw", blending country, blues and bluegrass banjo techniques. He wrote "Guitar Man" (covered by Elvis Presley) and scored hits with "Amos Moses", "When You're Hot, You're Hot" and "East Bound and Down", the theme of Smokey and the Bandit, in which he also starred. His instrumental duets with Chet Atkins (Me & Jerry, Me & Chet, Sneakin' Around) earned several Grammy Awards, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017.