Jerry Kennedy, the influential Nashville session guitarist and producer, would have turned 86 today; he died on 11 February 2026 at the age of 85. Known as a member of Nashville's legendary "A-Team" of session musicians, Kennedy's guitar work featured on classic recordings including Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman", Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA" and Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man", while as a producer at Mercury Records he helped shape the careers of artists such as Roger Miller, Bobby Bare and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1940, Kennedy began guitar lessons at nine under Louisiana Hayride guitarist Tillman Franks and was a regular performer on the radio show by 16. He went on to record with Elvis Presley, Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan (on 1966's Blonde on Blonde), before taking charge of Smash Records in 1969 and later founding JK Productions in 1984, working with Reba McEntire and the Statler Brothers. A four-time Grammy winner, he was remembered by Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young as having a "permanent impact on American music" that was "anything but quiet".