Guitar Man (song)

"Guitar Man" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Jerry Reed, who took his version of it to number 53 on the Billboard country music charts in 1967. Soon after Reed's single appeared, Elvis Presley recorded the song with Reed playing the guitar part, and it became a minor country and pop hit.

Elvis Presley versions
According to Peter Guralnick in his two-volume biography of Presley, the singer had been trying unsuccessfully to record the tune, but wasn't happy with the groove. He said something to the effect of: "Get me that redneck picker who's on the original tune", and his staff brought Reed into the studio - who nailed it on the first take (though this romantic account is contradicted by a studio tape of the session that documents the first, second and fifth takes which are available on video-sharing website YouTube, and it is unclear if the first take is the one selected for the album). The single spent one week at number one on the country chart.

In 1968, Presley opened his 1968 comeback special with this number. With dark, moody lighting highlighting his sneer, the sequence alluded to Presley's checkered past and "dangerous" image and served to prove that the singer was still "sexy, surly and downright provocative." The song was featured in a medley along with "Trouble" against a "Jailhouse Rock" backdrop featuring male dancers in cells.

In 1981, "Guitar Man" was re-recorded in a new electric arrangement, with Presley's original vocal left intact, and it was the last of his eleven number-one country hits. The record also peaked at number twenty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was his last top-40 pop hit in the U.S.

Personnel (Elvis Presley versions) Credits sourced from Keith Flynn's research of RCA and AFM paperwork.

1967 version
 * Elvis Presley – lead vocals
 * Scotty Moore — rhythm guitar
 * D. J. Fontana — drums
 * Jerry Reed – acoustic lead guitars
 * Chip Young – rhythm guitar
 * Harold Bradley – rhythm guitar
 * Charlie McCoy – rhythm guitar
 * Floyd Cramer – piano
 * Bob Moore – double bass
 * Buddy Harman – drums

1981 version

Credits from Keith Flynn's research of RCA and AFM paperwork.


 * Elvis Presley – lead vocals
 * Jerry Reed – electric lead guitars
 * Jerry Shook — guitar
 * Larry Byrom — electric guitar
 * Mike Leech — bass
 * Jerry Carrigan — drums
 * David Briggs — piano