Terry Reid (born 13
November 1949,
Huntingdon,
England)
is a rock
singer
and guitarist
noted for his soulful voice in the same vein as contemporaries Paul
Rodgers and Rod Stewart.
After leaving school at the age of 15, Reid joined Peter Jay's Jaywalkers after being spotted by the
band's drummer, Peter Jay. At the time Reid was playing for a local
band, The Redbeats. His
public profile was enhanced in 1966 when The Jaywalkers were named as a
support act for The Rolling Stones for
their concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Graham
Nash of The Hollies became friends with Reid at
that concert and suggested The Jaywalkers sign up with Columbia
Records to record with producer John Burgess. Their first single, the Soul-inspired
"The Hand Don't Fit the Glove," was a minor hit in 1967,
but by then The Jaywalkers had already decided to disband.
Reid came to the attention of hits producer Mickie
Most, who became his manager. His first single with Most, "Better By
Far," became a radio favourite, but the album, Bang Bang,
You're Terry Reid, was not a commercial success. A 1968
tour of the United States with Cream did much to gain Reid a
loyal following. His final performance of the tour at the Miami Pop
Festival garnered positive reviews from the music press. In 1969, Reid
supported various British tours, notably Jethro Tull and Fleetwood
Mac.
Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy
Page became interested in Reid's work, and when The Yardbirds
disbanded, Page wanted Reid to fill the vocalist spot for his proposed
new group, which was to become Led Zeppelin. Reid suggested
to Page that he consider a young Birmingham singer, Robert
Plant, instead, having previously seen Plant's Band
of Joy as a support act at one of his concerts. Reid later
turned down an offer to join Deep Purple when they decided to replace
singer Rod
Evans; Ian
Gillan was given the position instead.
Terry Reid's second album, Terry Reid (1969),
is regarded by critics as his best work. Reid toured the United States
again with The Rolling
Stones American Tour 1969 and appeared at the infamous Rolling Stones
concert at Altamont Music Festival.
Reid, however, became involved in a dispute with producer Mickie Most,
who wanted Reid to become a balladeer, and to strictly follow his own
formula; the same problem the Yardbirds had experienced with Most years
earlier. Reid then left England and settled in California to sit out
the remainder of his contract with Most, making only sporadic live
performances during that period. In 1970, he returned briefly to
England to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival.
In 1973,
Reid returned with a new contract with Atlantic
Records and a new album entitled River. Produced by
Yes's
Eddie
Offord, the album received favourable reviews, but was a commercial
flop.
Over the next decade, Reid switched to different labels in
search of a winning formula; Seed of Memory
released by ABC Records in 1976
(produced by Graham Nash), and Rogue Waves released
by Capitol Records in 1979.
He retired his solo career in 1981 to concentrate on session work,
appearing on albums by Don Henley, Jackson
Browne and Bonnie Raitt. In 1991,
Reid returned with former Yes producer Trevor
Horn, on the album The Driver. The album
featured a cover version of the Spencer
Davis Group classic, "Gimme Some Lovin'", which had earlier appeared on
the Days of Thunder soundtrack. "The Whole of the
Moon", written by Mike Scott, was
released as a single and received considerable airplay. Reid has since
been playing occasional live gigs with a band which has included
ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and Brian
Auger.
In 2002 whilst appearing at the Joint, in Los Angeles, with Waddy
Wachtel's all star band, Reid struck up a friendship with Australian
film director/writer Frank Howson that led to Howson
convincing Bill Paxton to cast Reid in Paxton's directorial debut movie
The Greatest Game Ever
Played. Howson also helped Reid secure gigs at
such venues as Santa Monica's La Vecchia and Harvelles.
In late 2005, Reid returned to the UK for his first tour in
years., it is understood that the 'magic shone through'. One venue
billed him as 'The Man With A Hell Of A Story To Tell'. That same year,
three of his songs, Seed of Memory, To Be Treated Right, and Brave Awakening,
appeared in the movie The Devil's Rejects.
Discography
- Bang, Bang You're Terry Reid (1968)
- Terry Reid (1969) (US title: Move
Over for Terry Reid)
- River (1973)
- Seed of Memory
(1976)
- Rogue Waves (1979)
- The Driver (1991)
- Alive (2004)
External link
