Jerry Kennedy, a session guitarist whose riffs are some of the most recognizable in country music history, has died, according to a statement from the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was 85 years old.
He died last Wednesday (Feb. 11.)
Kennedy was known for playing the classic opening lines of Tammy Wynette‘s “Stand By Your Man” and the iconic riffs on Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.”
He also played guitar on songs for titans such as Roger Miller, Elvis Presley, Kris Kristofferson and Jerry Lee Lewis; Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.” features Kennedy on dobro.
In addition to his work as a musician, Kennedy was also an accomplished producer who took over Smash Records when Shelby Singleton left the company in 1968. Kennedy went on to head Mercury’s country music division, where he produced work from Reba McEntire, Tom T. Hall and many others.
Who Was Jerry Kennedy?
Born in August 1940 in Shreveport, La., Kennedy was interested in music from his early childhood days. He signed his first recording contract at just 11 years old, with RCA Records. There, he recorded several singles.
Though Kennedy never became a star as a recording artist, he moved to Nashville after high school in the 1960s and began working as a producer and session player.
Kennedy’s son, Gordon Kennedy, is also a noted member of the Nashville music industry. Gordon is a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer who has worked with Eric Clapton as well as country legends such as Garth Brooks, Ricky Skaggs, Bonnie Raitt and others.
Jerry Kennedy’s Final Days
Gordon Kennedy tells The Tennessean that his father’s death declined over a period of weeks before his death on Feb. 11, and that he stayed in a care facility in Franklin, Tenn.
Gordon also says that while he was at the funeral home, someone asked him if he wanted a print of his father’s fingerprints to be incorporated into jewelry or another similar memorial tribute.
“I just said, ‘You just have to turn on the radio and you’ll hear his fingerprints everywhere.’ And they’ll be there forever,” Gordon remembers replying. “We’ve got them in a much more significant way than a necklace. You can hear his fingerprints.”
Stars Remember Jerry Kennedy After His Death
Tributes from the stars who worked with Kennedy show just how impactful his lasting influence on country music was.
Reba McEntire shared that Kennedy was a dream collaborator for her long before he served as producer on her projects, including her debut studio album in 1977.
“The first time I heard Jerry Kennedy play was on Jeannie C. Riley’s ‘Harper Valley P.T.A.’ Little did I know I would one day get to work with him,” McEntire wrote.
“He was a great friend, mentor, a patient teacher and a creative producer,” she added. “I cherish my years getting to work with him and know his family.”
Roy Orbison’s team shared a statement remembering Kennedy, along with a photo of him and Orbison signing a Mercury contract in 1974.
“From the studio to the stage, Jerry’s playing and producing helped shape the soundtrack of a generation,” the statement reads in part. “His talent touched Roy’s music in a way we’ll always cherish.”
In a statement, Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young called Kennedy a “first-call session musician” who “carried a spiritual understanding of music’s power to reach beyond social and stylistic boundaries, and he spent his career making it bigger and better.”
The museum also shared a snippet highlighting Kennedy from their 2008 “Nashville Cats” series.
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Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
