Reggie Young, Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson Guitarist, Dead at 82

Reggie Young, the revered guitarist who worked with stars like Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson, passed away last Thursday at his home in Nashville at age 82, Commercial Appeal shares, with Young’s friends and family confirming the news.

Young was a Memphis and Nashville-based session musician whose signature riffs are instantly recognizable to many, though his name may not be. Young’s guitar playing appears on records including Presley’s “Suspicious Minds, Nelson’s “Always on My Mind,” “Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Waylon Jennings’ “Luckenbach, Texas” and more.

He also worked on multiple records by B.J. Thomas, including “Hooked on a Feeling,” with Thomas referring to Young as a brother of his.

“From the first time I was in the studio with Reggie in 1967, we just fit together like a hand in a glove, and over the years became like brothers,” Thomas recalled.

“It’s hard to really get it straight in your mind that a guy who had no ego about what he was doing could play the amazing things Reggie played,” he added. “He was never trying to stand out. That’s the difference between Reggie and a lot of guitar players. He’d be playing right in the groove — but all the while doing these little things that made a song special or made it a hit.

“But then, when he wanted to, like with ‘Hooked on a Feeling,’ he stepped up with that (signature Coral electric sitar) part and did what I think is one of the classic solos of all time,” Thomas continued. “You know, after working with Reggie, Eric Clapton said he was the greatest guitar player he ever heard — that’s a pretty good accolade.”

Young began his decades-long career in Memphis, quickly becoming an in-demand session player before moving to Nashville in the ’70s. There, he became part of the Nashville Cats session players, adding his talents to songs by numerous country stars including the Highwaymen supergroup featuring Nelson, Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson.

Young released his first solo album, Forever Young, in 2017, and a collection of hit songs he played on was released on Jan. 25 by London-based label Ace Records.

After Young’s passing, several country stars shared their condolences on social media including Travis Tritt, Keith Urban and Jennings’ son, Shooter Jennings.

“Such sad news about the loss of Reggie Young. He was a huge part of my family and the music they made,” Shooter tweeted. “A chapter in the big, great book of music has closed with Reggie’s moving on.”

Photo Credit: Ace Records