Guitar Man (song)
1967 song by Jerry Reed
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"Guitar Man" is a 1967 country[1] song written and recorded by Jerry Reed, who took it to No. 53 on the Billboard country music charts in 1967. Elvis Presley soon covered the song,[2] singing over Reed's guitar; the collaboration reached No. 1 on the Billboard "Hot country singles" charts.
| "Guitar Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jerry Reed | ||||
| from the album The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed | ||||
| B-side | "It Don't Work That Way" | |||
| Released | 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1967 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:25 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter | Jerry Reed | |||
| Producer | Chet Atkins | |||
| Jerry Reed singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Jerry Reed version
"Guitar Man" was written and first recorded by Jerry Reed in 1967. His original version was released as a single on RCA Victor and later appeared on the album The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed.
Reed’s version reached No. 53 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1967. Although only a modest chart success, the recording attracted attention for its guitar work and vocal delivery.
The song later gained wider recognition when Elvis Presley covered it the same year, with Reed providing guitar for the session.
Elvis Presley versions
| "Guitar Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elvis Presley | ||||
| from the album Clambake | ||||
| B-side | "High Heel Sneakers" | |||
| Released | January 3, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | September 10, 1967 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio B, Nashville | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter | Jerry Reed | |||
| Producer | Felton Jarvis | |||
| Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
According to Peter Guralnick's two-volume biography of Presley, the singer had been trying to record the tune, but missed the sound Jerry Reed had brought to the original release. RCA managed to locate Reed and brought him to the session at RCA's Studio B in Nashville. The twelfth take eventually became the 1968 single master, after Reed overdubbed some additional guitar and the length was edited to omit Elvis ad-libbing Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" (which he had previously covered in 1963 for Viva Las Vegas) towards the end of that take.
Presley opened his 1968 comeback special a medley of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's "Trouble" and this number. With dark, moody lighting highlighting his presence, the sequence alluded to Presley's original "dangerous" image, and served to prove that the singer was still "sexy, surly and downright provocative".[3][4]
Under the supervision of Presley's producer Felton Jarvis, the song was (partially) re-recorded in 1980 with a new backing track that again included Jerry Reed playing his unique guitar licks, and spent one week at number one on the country chart the following year.[5]
Personnel
1967 recording
- Elvis Presley – lead vocals
- Jerry Reed – lead guitar
- Scotty Moore – rhythm guitar
- Chip Young – rhythm guitar
- Harold Bradley – rhythm guitar
- Bob Moore – bass
- Floyd Cramer – piano
- D. J. Fontana – drums
- Buddy Harman – drums[6]
1980 re-recording
- Elvis Presley – lead vocals
- Jerry Reed – lead guitar
- Jerry Shook – rhythm guitar
- Larry Byrom – rhythm guitar
- Mike Leech – bass
- David Briggs – piano
- Jerry Carrigan – drums[6]
Chart performance
Jerry Reed
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 53 |
