Songwriter, guitarist, and actor Jerry Reed has died at the age of 71, the AP reports. Reed first achieved fame as a songwriter, penning two late-'60s hits for Elvis Presley, "U.S. Male," and "Guitar Man," the latter prominently featured in Presley's '68 comeback special. Reed began his own string of hits with 1970 with "Amos Moses," following it up with the smash "When You're Hot, You're Hot," the following year. Reed also enjoyed a film career, first and most famously alongside pal Burt Reynolds in films like Gator and Smokey And The Bandit.
It was his skill on guitar that started it all, however. Here's a clip of Reed and fellow ace and occasional collaborator Chet Atkins from a 1975 appearance on Pop Goes The Country.
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