Jerry Kennedy died at the age of 85 after playing an instrumental role in the American music industry, playing guitar behind many of the songs that music fans know around the world.
The legendary star died Wednesday (Feb. 11) in her hometown of Nashville due to undisclosed causes.
The country musician was a naturally gifted child and signed with his first label at just 11 years old, then formed a band at 18 and quickly began collaborating with the era’s rising stars.
Kennedy can be heard playing guitar in the Roy Orbison film. Oh, pretty womanJeannie C. Riley Harper Valley Provincial Association., that of Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde sessions, Elvis Presley, Kris Kristofferson and Ringo Starr.
The Grammy winner forever left his marks on country music, as Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said: “As a first-call session musician, he created signature licks as recognizable as song titles, and as a producer and record label executive, he built a sonic platform on which giants can stand.”
Kennedy is survived by three sons Gordon, Bryan and Shelby Kennedy, all of whom followed in their father’s footsteps in the music industry.
