Jerry Puckett

Jerry Puckett, a legend in the music industry, was picked as lead guitarist for Willie Nelson's latest album, due out this fall. Joe Ellis/The Clarion-Ledger | More
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Jerry Puckett was only 3 years old, but his tiny fingers could pick out Milk Cow Blues, and the men would toss him nickels and dimes.

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"Then I'd wait for the Ford ice cream truck to come around and buy all I could eat," laughs Puckett, sitting in his upstairs recording studio at his home in Madison."I said, 'Shoot, if this is all I've got to do to get ice cream ... "

He knew even then he would be a lifelong musician.And though he may not be considered a household name among music fans, Puckett is a legend in the music business.
...
"Keith Richards (of the Rolling Stones) would've done it, but I didn't need Keith Richards, I needed Jerry Puckett," Stroud explains.
...
So I chose Jerry."

And if you have ever heard Jean Knight's No. 1 hit Mr. Big Stuff or Paul Simon's There Goes Rhymin' Simon album (chosen by Billboard among the 500 greatest rock albums of all time) or Tim McGraw's I Like It, I Love It, then you've heard Jerry Puckett's work.
...
And you can still hear him, playing gigs around the Jackson area with his buddy and quintessential bass player Raphael Semmes, who calls Puckett "a genius ... and I don't throw that word around a lot."
...
But dragging stories out of Jerry Puckett is like trying to pry a fish hook out of a bass that swallowed it whole.

"He's the most humble man I've ever known," says Anna, his wife of 13 years."And I think that's one reason Jerry never made it as a (solo artist).He doesn't like the spotlight or saying 'hey, look at me!' He just likes playing music."

Puckett was born into a musical family."My parents played squared dances when I was just a baby, lying on a pallet," he says.

Puckett, who attended Pearl High School, was accomplished enough by his early teens to play on various local radio shows and the late Farmer Jim Neal's weekly television show.
...
Puckett was attending Hinds Junior College and playing in a local band when he heard The Champs, which had hit it big with Tequila in 1958, needed a guitar player.He rode a bus to California to try out.He got the job, replacing a fellow named Glen Campbell.The Champs soon had another hit, Limbo Rock.

Also in the band was James Seals "who used to drive me crazy," Puckett says, grinning.
...
After serving two years in the Air National Guard, Puckett went right back to his music, playing sessions and gigs throughout the Southeast.

He eventually took a job as a session guitarist at Jackson's Malaco Records.
...
Puckett and Quezergue took the songs to Stax Records in Memphis and Atlantic Records in New York.No deal.

"Wardell had a lot of connections in New Orleans, and he got Groove Me played on the radio down there," Puckett says.
...
"As soon as that happened, Stax called and said they wanted Mr. Big Stuff," Puckett says.
...
"We made a mistake," Puckett says.
...
Puckett opened his own studio, Mississippi Recording Co., in 1976, near the Old State Capitol.Commercial jingles became his main money-maker, and he did a bunch of them - Rapids on the Reservoir, Boots & More, Blackwell Chevrolet, Clinton Body Shop.

But the 1980s were a tough time in Puckett's life.He went through a divorce.Sold his dwindling business."I was just trying to survive at that point," he says.

He did so by teaching voice and guitar.
...
A heart attack in 1991 literally put Puckett on his back.Since then, he's slowed down and enjoyed life more.He married Anna.Went back to making a living by playing local gigs.Resumed golfing and fishing.
...
Jerry Puckett's story is not complete without paying tribute to his ears.
...
"Jerry can hear things the normal person can't," Stroud says.
...
Puckett served as what the music industry calls a "vocal tuner."He would listen to the vocals, and if he heard a note that was slightly off, he'd nod to Stroud, who would then adjust it by computer.

"That's why it's hard to go to any music show around here with him," Anna says."We went to hear a guy sing one time, and it all sounded pretty good to me.I look over and Jerry has his elbows on his knees and his head between his elbows.
...
Jerry Puckett, a legend in the music industry, was picked as lead guitarist for Willie Nelson's latest album, due out this fall.
...
Besides working as a studio musician, Jerry Puckett also taught voice and guitar.

Jerry Puckett was only 3 years old, but his tiny fingers could pick out Milk Cow Blues, and the men would toss him nickels and dimes.

Advertisement>

"Then I'd wait for the Ford ice cream truck to come around and buy all I could eat," laughs Puckett, sitting in his upstairs recording studio at his home in Madison."I said, 'Shoot, if this is all I've got to do to get ice cream ... "

He knew even then he would be a lifelong musician.And though he may not be considered a household name among music fans, Puckett is a legend in the music business.
...
"Keith Richards (of the Rolling Stones) would've done it, but I didn't need Keith Richards, I needed Jerry Puckett," Stroud explains.
...
So I chose Jerry."

And if you have ever heard Jean Knight's No. 1 hit Mr. Big Stuff or Paul Simon's There Goes Rhymin' Simon album (chosen by Billboard among the 500 greatest rock albums of all time) or Tim McGraw's I Like It, I Love It, then you've heard Jerry Puckett's work.
...
And you can still hear him, playing gigs around the Jackson area with his buddy and quintessential bass player Raphael Semmes, who calls Puckett "a genius ... and I don't throw that word around a lot."
...
But dragging stories out of Jerry Puckett is like trying to pry a fish hook out of a bass that swallowed it whole.

"He's the most humble man I've ever known," says Anna, his wife of 13 years."And I think that's one reason Jerry never made it as a (solo artist).He doesn't like the spotlight or saying 'hey, look at me!' He just likes playing music."

Puckett was born into a musical family."My parents played squared dances when I was just a baby, lying on a pallet," he says.

Puckett, who attended Pearl High School, was accomplished enough by his early teens to play on various local radio shows and the late Farmer Jim Neal's weekly television show.
...
Puckett was attending Hinds Junior College and playing in a local band when he heard The Champs, which had hit it big with Tequila in 1958, needed a guitar player.He rode a bus to California to try out.He got the job, replacing a fellow named Glen Campbell.The Champs soon had another hit, Limbo Rock.

Also in the band was James Seals "who used to drive me crazy," Puckett says, grinning.
...
After serving two years in the Air National Guard, Puckett went right back to his music, playing sessions and gigs throughout the Southeast.

He eventually took a job as a session guitarist at Jackson's Malaco Records.
...
Puckett and Quezergue took the songs to Stax Records in Memphis and Atlantic Records in New York.No deal.

"Wardell had a lot of connections in New Orleans, and he got Groove Me played on the radio down there," Puckett says.
...
"As soon as that happened, Stax called and said they wanted Mr. Big Stuff," Puckett says.
...
"We made a mistake," Puckett says.
...
Puckett opened his own studio, Mississippi Recording Co., in 1976, near the Old State Capitol.Commercial jingles became his main money-maker, and he did a bunch of them - Rapids on the Reservoir, Boots & More, Blackwell Chevrolet, Clinton Body Shop.

But the 1980s were a tough time in Puckett's life.He went through a divorce.Sold his dwindling business."I was just trying to survive at that point," he says.

He did so by teaching voice and guitar.
...
A heart attack in 1991 literally put Puckett on his back.Since then, he's slowed down and enjoyed life more.He married Anna.Went back to making a living by playing local gigs.Resumed golfing and fishing.
...
Jerry Puckett's story is not complete without paying tribute to his ears.
...
"Jerry can hear things the normal person can't," Stroud says.
...
Puckett served as what the music industry calls a "vocal tuner."He would listen to the vocals, and if he heard a note that was slightly off, he'd nod to Stroud, who would then adjust it by computer.

"That's why it's hard to go to any music show around here with him," Anna says."We went to hear a guy sing one time, and it all sounded pretty good to me.I look over and Jerry has his elbows on his knees and his head between his elbows.
...
Jerry Puckett, a legend in the music industry, was picked as lead guitarist for Willie Nelson's latest album, due out this fall.
...
Besides working as a studio musician, Jerry Puckett also taught voice and guitar.

Guitarist Jerry Puckett plays a more distant role on this record but he's good and often follows Papa George's harmonica and vice versa.