"She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)" by Jerry Reed

Song#:  1112
Date:  07/24/1982
Debut:  85
Peak:  57
Weeks:  9
Genre:  Country



Pop Bits:  Long known as one of Nashville's best guitarists, Reed's solo career began to take off thanks to his song "Guitar Man," which reached #53 on the country chart. Though not a big hit, it caught the attention of Elvis Presley who recorded the song with Reed playing guitar. It didn't fare much better only reaching #43 on the pop chart, but Presley would end up recording a few more of Reed's songs. Reed's next single, a song about Elvis called "Tupelo Mississippi Flash," became his first major hit reaching #15 on the country chart. With his popularity on the rise, Reed crossed over to the pop chart in a big way with two Top 10 hits in 1971 - "Amos Moses" (#8) and "When You're Hot, You're Hot" (#9). His career cooled in the 80s, but he had one last crossover hit with this tune from his LP "The Man with the Golden Thumb." It reached #1 on the country chart and got close to the top half of the pop chart. Two years later, his charting days were done.

ReduxReview:  As a kid I always liked Jerry Reed when he was on TV. I thought he was funny and entertaining. And of course he was on an episode of "Scooby-Doo" and in "Smokey and the Bandit," so I loved that! But I didn't get into his music, which at times bordered on novelty. Comical songs like this one were well-done and fun on first listen, but then I'd tire of them quickly.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Along the way, Reed dabbled in acting. He made several appearances on TV including his own variety series in 1976. His first film role was with Burt Reynolds in 1974's "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings." His friendship with Reynolds payed off with other movie rolls including 1976's "Gator" and the trio of "Smokey and the Bandit" films. The first "Bandit" film featured Reeds' song "East Bound and Down," which went to #2 on the country chart in 1977.  2) Although "Guitar Man" was not initially a hit for Reed or Presley, it ended up being Presley's last pop Top 40 hit (#28) and final country #1 thanks to a remix version that was released posthumously in 1981.

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