On August 31, 1992, Jerry Reed stepped onto the stage at the Crazy Horse Steak House in Santa Ana, California, and gave his audience a glimpse of a side of his musical talent that had become less common in his performances.
By then, Jerry Reed was famous for his country hits, his humor, and his memorable appearances in Smokey and the Bandit. But long before Hollywood made Jerry Reed a familiar face, Jerry Reed had earned the admiration of some of Nashville’s finest musicians with extraordinary guitar playing.
And one of those admirers was Chet Atkins.
What made that California performance especially interesting was an old song that Chet Atkins particularly loved hearing Jerry Reed play.
A Friendship Built Around Two Guitars
Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed had shared a remarkable musical relationship for decades.
Chet Atkins was already an established recording artist and influential Nashville producer when Jerry Reed’s unusual guitar technique attracted attention. Chet Atkins recognized something special in Jerry Reed’s ability to combine complicated rhythms, independent bass lines, and inventive melodies.
Eventually, Chet Atkins helped Jerry Reed establish a recording career with RCA. Their partnership produced memorable recordings, including the celebrated albums Me and Jerry and Me and Chet.
They were very different personalities. Chet Atkins was usually reserved and understated, while Jerry Reed was energetic, talkative, and naturally funny.
But when they picked up their guitars, those differences became part of the magic.
By the early 1990s, however, Jerry Reed had spent years emphasizing his singing, acting, and entertaining. The intricate acoustic fingerpicking that had first impressed Chet Atkins was no longer as prominent in Jerry Reed’s live shows.
Then Chet Atkins encouraged Jerry Reed to return to it.
The Night Jerry Reed Returned to His Old Guitar Style
During the August 31 performance, Jerry Reed surprised the audience by sitting down with a nylon-string guitar.
According to music critic Jim Washburn, writing in the Los Angeles Times on September 2, 1992, Jerry Reed explained that he had grown bored with his usual approach to performing.
So Jerry Reed returned to the fingerpicking style that had made him such a respected musician.
Jerry Reed began with Mr. Lucky, a complicated instrumental written for Chet Atkins during a difficult period in Chet Atkins’s life.
Then came another selection.
It was a familiar American standard, but Jerry Reed approached it with beautiful jazz-influenced harmonies and carefully connected melodic lines.
The song was “Georgia on My Mind.”
And according to Washburn’s contemporary review, Jerry Reed’s particular rendition of “Georgia” was a favorite of Chet Atkins.
That small detail reveals something meaningful about their friendship. Chet Atkins didn’t simply admire Jerry Reed’s technical skill. Chet Atkins appreciated the individual musical voice Jerry Reed brought to a song that countless musicians had already interpreted.
The Same Song Had Appeared in Their Concert Together
There was another interesting connection to that performance.
On June 22, 1992, just over two months earlier, Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed had performed together at The Bottom Line in New York City.
The concert was professionally recorded and later released on video, preserving an extraordinary meeting of two influential guitarists.
Among the selections documented from that evening were “Sneakin’ Around,” “The Claw,” “I Still Can’t Say Goodbye,” and “Georgia on My Mind.”
The appearance of “Georgia on My Mind” in that concert makes the later California performance particularly interesting. The melody was part of the repertoire surrounding their renewed musical partnership in 1992.
The available accounts do not establish that Jerry Reed performed the song in Santa Ana as a formal tribute to Chet Atkins. What they do establish is that Chet Atkins admired Jerry Reed’s rendition and had encouraged Jerry Reed to return to the guitar style that made it special.
What Made That Performance Worth Remembering
For many fans, Jerry Reed will always be the mischievous entertainer behind “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” “Amos Moses,” and “East Bound and Down.”
But Chet Atkins understood that beneath the humor was an exceptional guitarist whose musical ideas deserved serious attention.
That night in California, audiences heard both sides of Jerry Reed: the familiar entertainer and the gifted fingerpicker.
And somewhere within that performance was a beautiful old melody that one of the greatest guitarists in country music especially loved hearing Jerry Reed play.
Sometimes a musical friendship is remembered through awards, hit records, or famous concert appearances. Sometimes it survives in something much smaller: the knowledge that one musician knew exactly how much another musician loved a particular song.
For Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, “Georgia on My Mind” remains one of those lovely connections.