Sept. 1: Country star Jerry Reed died on this day in 2008...

... he was 71 when he died of complications from emphysema.

Born Jerry Reed Hubbard in Atlanta, Georgia Jerry was a popular - and funny - country music singer, country guitarist, session musician, songwriter, and actor. His hit records included "Soldier's Joy," "East Bound and Down," "Guitar Man," "She's Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)," "The Bird," "Lord, Mr. Ford (What Have You Done)," "Amos Moses," "When You're Hot, You're Hot," (for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1972), and "East Bound and Down," the theme song for the film Smokey and the Bandit, in which he also co-starred.

He appeared in over a dozen films including 3 Smokey and The Bandit films, The Survivors, Stand Alone, What Comes Around, Bat*21, and The Waterboy. He teamed up with country stars Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, and Bobby Bare in the group Old Dogs. They recorded one album, in 1998, entitled Old Dogs.

Press links below to view You Tube videos:
-- "East Bound And Down"  (From Smokey and the Bandit)
-- "When You're Hot, You're Hot"  
-- "She Got The Gold Mine (I Got The Shaft)"