JERRY REED SPENT 7 YEARS IN ORPHANAGES AS A CHILD. HE PROMISED HE’D BE A STAR — AND HE KEPT THAT PROMISE. BUT HE NEVER LIVED TO SEE THE HALL OF FAME. His parents split four months after he was born. He spent seven years bouncing between orphanages and foster homes — a small boy clutching a cheap guitar, telling anyone who’d listen: “I’m gonna go to Nashville and be a star.” No one believed him. By 17, he had a record deal. By 30, Elvis was recording his songs. By 40, he was a movie star. Three Grammys. A guitar style no one could copy. Then emphysema slowly stole his breath. Quadruple bypass. A pacemaker. He kept playing — until he couldn’t. Jerry Reed died quietly at home in 2008. Nine years later, the Country Music Hall of Fame finally called his name. His two daughters stood where he should have been. “He never forgot where he came from. He had a very serious, beautiful side.” — Seidina Hubbard, his daughter The orphan boy kept his promise. He just wasn’t there to hear them say it. But what he told Burt Reynolds the last time they spoke… that’s the part most people never heard.
Jerry Reed Promised He Would Be A Star While Living In Orphanages — And Somehow, He Kept Every Word Jerry…