Actor, singer, and guitar man
Jerry Reed blurred the line between country and pop music from the late '60s through the '70s while occasionally throwing in the odd novelty record for good measure. Released in 1968,
Alabama Wild Man was one of the earliest examples of his crossover appeal.
Reed played what he liked, had a good time doing it, and made records strictly to entertain. However, that didn't mean he was creating one-dimensional music, proven here by the contemplative lyrics of "Today Is Mine" and "Losing Your Love," the
Jimmy Reed-inspired instrumental "Twelve Bar Midnight," and the autobiographical title track featuring punchy boogaloo horns with country pickin'. As a side note, the addition of
Reed's laid-back version of
the Monkees' hit "Last Train to Clarksville" was recorded three decades before
Cassandra Wilson would do the same for the song in the jazz world in 1995. ~ Al Campbell