By: Rick Landers
Reggie Young – 1960 Ethiopia.
Memphis guitar session player, Reggie Young (December 12, 1936 – January 17, 2019), passed away a few days ago and leaves us with a string of guitar licks that are not merely memorable, but are the signature riffs of some of the most significant hit songs of our time.
Session musicians are the true grit characters of the music world, whether they’re sitting, working in studios in Memphis, L.A., Detroit and other creative hot spots where music is made. A guitar riff may be lilting and sweet, melodic and soothing or explosive, and the men and women who have adorned record albums with the emotional weight of their musical contributions oftentimes capture us with a hook, a beat or some hip phrasing.
Along with Reggie, names like Glen Campbell, Jimmie Page, Carol Kaye, Steve Cropper, Andy Bassford, Jack Ashford and others are the hallmark of musicianship – the working musicians. Session groups like the Wrecking Crew, the Funk Brothers, the Memphis Boys, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and more are the “hired guns” that are the “go to” professionals who show up when called by producers and artists, sometimes through the “Registry” (Radio & TV Registry) listing.
But, today let’s focus on Mr. Young and hear some of the masterful licks he came up with that have proven to be lifetime achievements:
Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
