Certified Guitar Player

It's been a rough week for Nashville. In addition to the tragic loss of lives, homes, and livelihood for so many, now comes word that something like 600 Nashville artists lost pretty much all of their instruments, gear, etc., when SoundCheck, a 160,000 square feet rehearsal space, was completely flooded. Only time will tell how much history has been irretrievably lost this past week, so we're even more grateful now for the music and video, which lives on forever...especially on The Porter Wagoner Show, thanks to "Mr. Grand Ol' Opry" himself (yep, that was his official title).

And speaking of titles...most people know Jerry Reed as Burt Reynolds' cornpone sidekick, Cledus, from the Smokey and the Bandit franchise, but did you know he was one of only four musicians Chet Atkins deemed a "Certified Guitar Player"? Nah, me neither, until I read it on Wikipedia. Here's a fairly amazing instrumental medley from the early 70's, also featuring Paul Yandell, who began his career playing for the Louvin Brothers. "Snowbird"? Sure, OK. And for an added bonus, a not-embarassing Chuck Berry medley that shuffles more than it rocks, but once again underscores that blurry line between musical genres.

From The Porter Wagoner Show (which was actually filmed at various locations around Opryland, U.S.A.), straight outta Nashville, TN.