Reggie Young - The Most Heard Guitarist That You Have Never Heard Of

Unless you have watched Gil Baker’s movie “Session Men”, most of us have never heard of Reggie Young. But if you turned on the radio, or purchased records in the late 1960’s through the 1990’s, you have heard Reggie Young.

He was the guitarist on over 120 hit records, that were all recorded in Memphis Tennessee’s American Sound Studio. Reggie Young was the guitarist in the house band. He was one of the most respected session men.

Reggie Young and The Memphis Boys
with Elvis at American Studios

He has recorded with some of the most well known artists of the day, such as Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, B.J. Thomas, Dusty Springfield, Dobie Gray, The Box Tops, King Curtis, Otis Redding, Jimmy Webb, Petula Clark, and so many others.

His distinctive guitar can be heard on “Son of A Preacher Man”, “Drift Away”, “Suspicious Minds”, “In The Ghetto”, “Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”, Billy Swan (I Can Help), and “Sweet Caroline”.

Reggie Young with Electric Sitar

His Coral Electric sitar can be heard on “Cry Like A Baby”, and “Hooked On A Feeling.”

Reggie Young passed away on January 17th, at his home just outside of Nashville, in the small town of Leipers Fork. He was 82 years old.


The great thing about Reggie, and all the other session players on these recognizable hits, is that  when the singer or songwriter came to the studio, they had a song, but usually no arrangement.

The session players would listen to the songs, at just jumped in, playing in the groove. Within a short period of time, they had not only a musical arrangement, but a hit recording. They knew music, and they knew the styles of the day, and they made those songs their own.

B.J. Thomas, The Memphis Boys
 & Chips Moman

B.J. Thomas came to American Studios with the song “Hooked On A Feeling”, and Reggie Young stepped up with his electric sitar, and played that outstanding signature lick, that turned that song into a hit. He did the same with The Box Tops recording, “Cry Like A Baby”. It was his inspiration that made the electric sitar a part of so many other songs of that era.

A long time ago, after Eric Clapton learned who was playing those guitar parts, he declared that Reggie Young was the greatest player he ever heard.

A younger Reggie Young

Young’s family moved to Memphis in 1950. By age 15 Reggie was gigging with local bands. He played with a local rockabilly singer named Eddie Bond, and put his signature lick on Bond’s recording, “Rockin’ Daddy”.

He was later hired by country star Johnny Horton, before getting a job in the house band at the South Memphis Royal Studios/Hi Records, where he recorded hits with Bill Black’s Combo.

Reggie Young with
The Bill Black Combo

After a tour in the Army, Reggie Young was offered a job with the CIA, but opted to join Bill Black’s touring band instead.  In 1964 The Bill Black Combo was the opening act for The Beatles during a British tour.

In the mid-1960’s Young began working with Chips Moman at his American Sound Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, as part of the house band known as The Memphis Boys.

American Sound Studio

This small, undescript building produced an unprecedented string of hit records for so many popular artists, especially in the 1970’s.

Reggie Young

In 1972 Reggie Young left Memphis and headed to Nashville for the studio work there.

Reggie with Merle Haggard

For the next 20 years, his guitar work can be heard on recordings by Merle Haggard (Pancho and Lefty), Willie Nelson (Always On My Mind”, Waylon Jennings (Luckenbach, Texas), Kenny Rogers (Lucille, and The Gambler), and Reba McEntire (Little Rock).

Reggie Young and his wife Jenny Lynn

Reggie Young also recorded with Bob Dylan, Gladys Knight, The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Herbie Mann, Joe Cocker, B.B. King, Cat Stevens, Sinead O’Connor. Tanya Tucker, Eddie Rabbitt, Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristoferson.

Young playing lead guitar
with The Highwaymen

Reggie Young took a break for session work when he was asked to join the touring group for The Highwaymen.

During his tenure in Memphis, and Nashville, Young would do at least 20 sessions a week.

Dobie Gray

He was working in a Nashville studio, when record producer Mentor Williams was doing songs for Dobie Gray, and asked Reggie if he had an idea for the intro. On the spot Reggie played that iconic guitar part for “Drift Away”. It became one of the biggest hits of 1972.

Reggie Young can be heard playing the very recognizable opening finger-style G to C major lick on Elvis’ hit recording “Suspicious Minds”

Country Music HOF "Nashville Cats"

In 2008 he was saluted by the Nashville community as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s “Nashville Cats” series. In 2017 Reggie Young released his first solo album titled “Forever Young.” It is a 24 track compilation of selected cuts from songs that he played on.

A recording was in the works at the time of his death, called Reggie Young: Session Guitar Star. It is due out on January 25 on the U.K. label Ace Records.

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