“Before an artist ever sang the first line of “Stand By Your Man,” “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” or “Oh, Pretty Woman,” Jerry Kennedy’s masterful guitar playing had already marked the song as a hit.

As a first-call session musician, he created signature licks that were as recognizable as song titles, and as a producer and a record label executive, he built a sonic platform for giants to stand on.

He carried a spiritual understanding of music’s power to reach beyond social and stylistic boundaries, and he spent his career making it better and bigger.

Jerry Kennedy was soft-spoken and understated, but his permanent impact on American music was anything but quiet.”

—Kyle Young, CEO
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum