Jerry Dean Smith

Jerry Dean Smith, age 87, passed away Sunday, June 6, 2021. Mr. Smith was born in Bude, Mississippi Thursday, October 25, 1933 and is preceded in death by his parents, Tom Garrett and Nellie Marie Mullins Smith; his wife Gayle Annette Smith; brother, Walter A Smith and his wife, Glenda; sister, Tommie Rhea Smith and her husband Coy.

Mr. Smith spent his early years in Bude, MS and then in Baton Rouge, LA. He served in the Air Force, loaned to the Army where he would serve as one of the Transcribers at the Korean War Armistice Agreement. After his service, he returned home to Baton Rouge, marry and begin to pursue his music career. Moving to Nashville in 1961, he quickly established himself as a session musician and became one of a group of session musicians known as “Nashville’s Perfect Six”. He was a member of the Nashville Musicians Union for 59 years. He went on to produce his own work with a successful career under Papa Joe’s Music House, Cornbread & Jerry, The Magic Organ and other labels. He played the Opry and had appearances on American Bandstand and the Lawrence Welk Show for his original work, “Truck Stop”, and was awarded “Instrumental of the Year” and nominated for a Grammy Award.

After retiring, he took up sailing and would go on to sail around the world with his wife in their sailboat, taking five years and covering 30,000+ miles, gathering memories and stories to share. A quiet man of few words, he loved the ocean, the people he met along the way and never stopped wanting to return to sailing.

Over the years he was a member of Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville, TN and Ashland City First Baptist Church, Ashland City, TN.

Mr. Smith is survived by his children, Jeannie (Greg) Torres, Stacy (Jill) Smith, Kahne (Donald) Vaughan, David (Lisa) Smith; nine grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be conducted Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 4:00 in the afternoon with Rev. Nathan Washburn officiating. Burial will be 10:00 Friday morning, June 11, 2021 in Middle Tennessee State Veteran's Cemetery, McCrory Lane, Nashville.

Family and friends will gather to remember Mr. Smith at a visitation Thursday, June 10, 2021 from 11:00 until the 4:00 service at Forest Lawn Funeral Home 1150 S. Dickerson Pike Goodlettsville, Tennessee

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to http://www.grammy.com/musicares or the Annie Armstrong Foundation https://www.anniearmstrong.com