Jerry ReedThe Rockin' U.S. Male

A teenage guitar prodigy signed by Capitol at seventeen. Reed's syncopated 'claw' fingerpicking style, influenced by Merle Travis and Earl Scruggs, gives these 1955-1958 recordings a rhythmic dexterity that sets them apart from standard rockabilly. Honky-tonk country, rockabilly, and fifties pop, with oddball curiosities like the exotica track 'Rockin' in Bagdad.' He dismissed these early sides later in life, but the seeds of his legendary guitar technique are already germinating in these grooves. 10-inch LP with bonus CD of thirteen rarities.