Nashville has lost one of its true titans. Jerry Kennedy, the brilliant guitarist, visionary producer, and influential record executive, whose touch defined the sound of country and pop music throughout the 1960s and 70s, passed away peacefully on Wednesday in Franklin, Tennessee, at the age of 85.
His son, Gordon Kennedy—a celebrated guitarist himself and co-writer of Eric Clapton’s Grammy-winning hit “Change the World”—confirmed that congestive heart failure was the cause of his father’s passing.
Jerry Kennedy’s genius wasn’t confined to a single musical genre; instead, he possessed an uncanny knack for identifying an artist’s distinctive essence and then masterfully translating it into unforgettable recordings. His approach was all about authentic capture and nuanced enhancement.
When working with Tom T. Hall, a songwriter whose narratives spoke for themselves, Kennedy crafted elegant, minimalist arrangements. He would often enrich these with perfectly placed, soulful accents on his Dobro resonator guitar, adding depth without overshadowing the story.
His signature Dobro work shines on Jeannie C. Riley’s 1968 smash hit, “Harper Valley P.T.A.” Here, his resonating riffs perfectly amplify the fiery defiance of the song’s lead character, a sharp critique of small-town double standards that dominated both country and pop charts. That same year, his heartfelt guitar introduction to Tammy Wynette’s iconic crossover hit, “Stand By Your Man,” tenderly set the stage for her poignant confession: “Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman.”
Marty Stuart, a revered member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, once lauded Kennedy as “truly one of the lead architects in the creation of the Nashville sound,” in an interview with Vintage Guitar magazine.
Stuart highlighted Kennedy’s impactful collaborations not only with Riley and Hall but also with the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis, whose country recordings produced under Kennedy’s guidance are considered by Stuart to be among the finest ever recorded.
As a highly sought-after member of Nashville’s famed ‘A-Team’ of session musicians, Kennedy lent his prodigious talent to numerous recordings. His guitar work can be heard on several tracks of Bob Dylan’s seminal “Blonde on Blonde” album. He’s also responsible for the electrifying guitar solo that kicks off Roy Orbison’s 1964 pop chart-topper, “Oh, Pretty Woman.” His versatility extended to many 60s R&B sessions in Nashville, including Clyde McPhatter’s Top 20 hit “Lover Please,” where he not only played guitar but also arranged the string section.
Perhaps his most significant triumph as a talent scout and producer came when he signed Roger Miller, guiding him to massive success with whimsical mid-60s singles like “Dang Me” and “King of the Road.” Both tracks soared to No. 1 on the country charts and into the Top 10 of the pop charts, garnering multiple Grammy Awards.
Kennedy often credited producer Shelby Singleton—an early mentor who brought him on as a staff producer for Mercury Records’ Smash subsidiary—with fostering an environment where he could experiment. Singleton’s trust allowed Kennedy to tackle projects that, at the time, might have been deemed too unconventional for Nashville’s conservative music scene.
“Shelby let me go in and come up with stuff that was different,” Kennedy recalled in an interview with Vintage Guitar, referencing his groundbreaking sessions with artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Roger Miller.
He noted, “I had an ‘in’ that a lot of players did not have.”
Born Jerry Glenn Kennedy on August 10, 1940, in Shreveport, Louisiana, he was the eldest of three children to Gordon W. and Essie (Laird) Kennedy. Tragically, his father, a deputy sheriff, was killed in the line of duty when Jerry and his sisters were still very young, leaving their mother to work in a bakery to support the family.
His musical journey began when his parents gifted him a Sears Silvertone guitar as a boy. He quickly started lessons with Tillman Franks, a respected bassist and guitarist for the renowned Louisiana Hayride radio show. It was at the Hayride that young Jerry had the formative experience of witnessing live performances by music legends like Hank Williams and Elvis Presley.
As a teenager, he signed with RCA, releasing a few singles under the name Jerry Glenn, featuring the guitar stylings of Chet Atkins. Upon graduating high school, Kennedy joined the Louisiana Hayride’s house band, where he met and later married singer Linda Brannon. The couple’s marriage would eventually end in divorce.
In 1961, the Kennedys relocated to Nashville. There, Jerry secured a staff position with Mercury Records, quickly becoming an in-demand session guitarist, contributing to chart-topping hits such as Leroy Van Dyke’s “Walk On By” and Elvis Presley’s “Good Luck Charm.”
Kennedy’s tenure at Mercury Records spanned until 1984, including an impressive 15 years at the helm of the label. He then ventured out to establish his own company, JK Productions. After a successful decade as an independent producer, he decided to retire from the demanding music industry in his 50s.
His immense contributions were formally recognized in 2007 when he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville as part of its inaugural class. Today, the Hall of Fame’s prestigious performance space bears his name: the “Jerry Kennedy Theater.”
Beyond his son Gordon, Jerry Kennedy is survived by his devoted wife, Delores Dea-Kennedy, and his two other sons, Bryan and Shelby, both accomplished songwriters. He also leaves behind three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his sisters, Barbara Blaylock and Kathy Price. He was preceded in death by his earlier wife, television director Gail Liberti-Kennedy, who passed away in 2004.
Remarkably, despite playing on over a thousand recordings and being widely considered a core member, Kennedy modestly never truly saw himself as part of Nashville’s legendary ‘A-Team’ of elite studio musicians.
In a 2010 interview with The Steel Guitar Forum, he explained, “I have been honored in that respect, but I don’t consider myself part of it because I thought the A-Team was a group of players that were involved with session work before I got to town.”
He added, “From the time I arrived in Nashville I was immediately kind of thrown in with them, so some people have considered me that way. I do not myself.”