Jerry Kennedy

Jerry Kennedy was just a young teenager when he and a friend heard Elvis Presley’s first Sun Record. They were blown away by the electric guitar they heard but realized in photographs Elvis played acoustic. They set out to see Elvis when he came to their hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1955 before Elvis hit it big. They later learned that the guitarist was Scotty Moore but were disappointed with the screaming girls around them during the performance, which prevented them from hearing Scotty play. Ironically, Jerry’s incredible talents as a guitarist led him to not only play on the Louisiana Hayride but to record with Elvis and Scotty Moore. As a Nashville Studio Musician, Jerry can be heard on hundreds of recordings including Bob Dylan’s album Blonde on Blonde as well as the Dobro player throughout Jeannie C. Riley’s big 1968 hit “Harper Valley PTA.” Jerry also served as a record producer and signed such artists as Roger Miller, Tom T. Hall, and the Statler Brothers, which included the successful songwriter Don Reid.