Reggie Young
Encyclopedia
Reggie Young was lead guitarist in the American Sound Studios Band (aka The Memphis Boys), and is a leading session musician
. He played on various recordings with artists such as Elvis Presley, B.J. Thomas, John Prine, Dusty Springfield, J.J. Cale, Dionne Warwick, Roy Hamilton, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, the Box Tops, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, and George Strait.
, Young's first band was Eddie Bond & the Stompers, a rockabilly band from Memphis, Tennessee, that toured with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison during the mid '50s. By 1958, Young was with singer Johnny Horton, making several appearances on the popular Louisiana Hayride radio show in Shreveport.
He was an original member of Bill Black
's Combo, which had several instrumental hits in the U.S. in 1959 and the early '60s, the most successful being "Smokie, Pts. 1 & 2", "White Silver Sands," and an instrumental version of "Don't Be Cruel," released on Hi Records. Billboard Magazine listed the Combo as the #1 instrumental band three years in a row, 1960–1962.
In February 1964, the Beatles requested that the Bill Black Combo open for them during their first U.S. tour. Subsequently, they invited the Combo over to England for another month-long tour. After the death of leader Bill Black (Elvis Presley's original bass player) in October 1965, Young concentrated on being a staff musician at Hi Studio in Memphis until 1967, winding up at American Studios at the request of Chips Moman later that year.
The Memphis Boys were responsible for around 120 hit singles, pop, country, rock, or soul, between 1967 and 1971. Young played on the January/February 1969 Elvis Presley sessions that included "Suspicious Minds", "Kentucky Rain", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "In the Ghetto". When the studio closed in late 1971, Young moved to Nashville as an independent session player. He took part in the July 1973 Presley sessions at Stax Studios in Memphis which produced the albums Raised On Rock and Good Times.
After playing on the sessions for the Highwaymen (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson) in 1984, Young joined their touring show for a five-year stretch (1990–1995). Young also played many sessions and concerts with Waylon Jennings, including his final tours featuring the Waymore Blues Band before Jennings' death in 2002.
Young has been nominated for a Grammy, also performing at the Kennedy Center in honor of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. In 2007 Reggie was inducted into the Nashville Musicians' Hall of Fame. 2008 saw the Country Music Hall of Fame recognizing Young as a "Nashville Cat". That same year also saw the debut of Young's first solo album, the independently released, inspirational Be Still, a collaboration with wife and cellist Jenny Lynn Young.
August 2009 saw the Memphis Boys, along with Chips Moman, receive acknowledgement by the Memphis Grammy Chapter for their pioneering work on "Suspicious Minds" during a Graceland fan reception. After almost 45 years of playing together, this was their first award.
In 2010 Young participated in a tribute album/DVD project spotlighting the songs of Waylon Jennings, featuring diverse artists such as Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow, to be released in spring 2011. A studio session with the Blind Boys of Alabama has been recorded for a presumed release of early next year.
Reggie is mention in the Jimmy Buffet song "God's Own Drunk"
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. He played on various recordings with artists such as Elvis Presley, B.J. Thomas, John Prine, Dusty Springfield, J.J. Cale, Dionne Warwick, Roy Hamilton, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, the Box Tops, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, and George Strait.
Early career
Born December 12, 1936, in Caruthersville, MissouriCaruthersville, Missouri
Caruthersville is the most populous city and county seat of Pemiscot County, located along the Mississippi River in the bootheel of southeastern Missouri in the United States. The population was 6,760 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Young's first band was Eddie Bond & the Stompers, a rockabilly band from Memphis, Tennessee, that toured with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison during the mid '50s. By 1958, Young was with singer Johnny Horton, making several appearances on the popular Louisiana Hayride radio show in Shreveport.
He was an original member of Bill Black
Bill Black
William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
's Combo, which had several instrumental hits in the U.S. in 1959 and the early '60s, the most successful being "Smokie, Pts. 1 & 2", "White Silver Sands," and an instrumental version of "Don't Be Cruel," released on Hi Records. Billboard Magazine listed the Combo as the #1 instrumental band three years in a row, 1960–1962.
In February 1964, the Beatles requested that the Bill Black Combo open for them during their first U.S. tour. Subsequently, they invited the Combo over to England for another month-long tour. After the death of leader Bill Black (Elvis Presley's original bass player) in October 1965, Young concentrated on being a staff musician at Hi Studio in Memphis until 1967, winding up at American Studios at the request of Chips Moman later that year.
The Memphis Boys were responsible for around 120 hit singles, pop, country, rock, or soul, between 1967 and 1971. Young played on the January/February 1969 Elvis Presley sessions that included "Suspicious Minds", "Kentucky Rain", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "In the Ghetto". When the studio closed in late 1971, Young moved to Nashville as an independent session player. He took part in the July 1973 Presley sessions at Stax Studios in Memphis which produced the albums Raised On Rock and Good Times.
After playing on the sessions for the Highwaymen (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson) in 1984, Young joined their touring show for a five-year stretch (1990–1995). Young also played many sessions and concerts with Waylon Jennings, including his final tours featuring the Waymore Blues Band before Jennings' death in 2002.
Young has been nominated for a Grammy, also performing at the Kennedy Center in honor of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. In 2007 Reggie was inducted into the Nashville Musicians' Hall of Fame. 2008 saw the Country Music Hall of Fame recognizing Young as a "Nashville Cat". That same year also saw the debut of Young's first solo album, the independently released, inspirational Be Still, a collaboration with wife and cellist Jenny Lynn Young.
August 2009 saw the Memphis Boys, along with Chips Moman, receive acknowledgement by the Memphis Grammy Chapter for their pioneering work on "Suspicious Minds" during a Graceland fan reception. After almost 45 years of playing together, this was their first award.
Current
Young participates in occasional Elvis-themed concerts in Europe and the USA with other musicians who once shared a stage with Presley, including the "Back In Memphis" concert held at the University of Memphis on August 12, 2010.In 2010 Young participated in a tribute album/DVD project spotlighting the songs of Waylon Jennings, featuring diverse artists such as Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow, to be released in spring 2011. A studio session with the Blind Boys of Alabama has been recorded for a presumed release of early next year.
Personal
Young met his wife, the classically trained cellist Jenny Lynn Hollowell, in 1999, during the formation of Waylon Jennings' Waymore Blues Band. They married in 2004. They currently reside in Leipers Fork in middle Tennessee, where Young spends much of his time composing in his home studio.Selected sessions
- Elvis Presley - "Suspicious Minds," "Kentucky Rain," "In the Ghetto," "Don't Cry Daddy," and "I've Got A Thing About You Baby"
- J.J. Cale - "Cajun Moon" and "Cocaine"
- Dusty Springfield - "Son of a Preacher Man"
- The Box Tops - "The Letter," "Cry Like A Baby"
- Dobie Gray - "Drift Away"
- The Highwaymen - "Highwayman" and "Desperados Waiting For A Train"
- Willie Nelson - "Always On My Mind"
- B.J. Thomas - "Hooked On A Feeling" "Hey, Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song"
- Neil Diamond - "Sweet Caroline"
Reggie is mention in the Jimmy Buffet song "God's Own Drunk"