Jerry Reed - Birth Of A Legend: The Singles & Sessions Collection 1955-62 (2025)

Jerry Reed was a country singer, guitarist and songwriter, whose also became a movie actor, appearing more then a dozen films. His primary era of fame and chart success was in the late ‘60s and then the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with his roots in country in his early career he established a significant reputation during the 1950s and early ‘60s, operating across the boundaries of country, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll, and had his first pop chart entries. He was also a much-in-demand session guitarist on the records of his label-mates. This 58-track 2-CD collection comprises the A & B sides of singles under his own name on the Capitol, Columbia and NRC labels during these years, along with tracks on which he was a session guitarist, and often composer, by Ric Cartey, The Rockateers, Paul Peek, Johnny Sea, Sweetie Jones, Gini Hayes and country legend Porter Wagoner. It features his US pop chart entries “Soldiers Joy”, Love And War (Ain’t Much Difference In The Two)” and “Hully Gully Guitars”. He became a hugely influential and high-profile personality in later years and this early-years collection makes it clear how he acquired that reputation, as well as offering an enlightening insight into his talents across every aspect of the music, as composer, guitarist and singer.