Rock singer and guitarist whose 70s albums River and Seed of Memory were acclaimed by new audiences in the 2000s
Terry Reid’s remarkable singing voice ensured he stood out in a golden age of British rock vocalists. So much so that in the late 1960s both Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore, the respective guitarists and leaders of the heavy rock bands Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, approached him to front their groups. That Reid, who has died of cancer aged 75, turned them both down, could have reduced him to a footnote in rock history, yet his singular talent continued to be recognised by musicians from Aretha Franklin to Dr Dre.
Reid’s lack of chart success – he would only release six studio albums in a career that spanned almost 60 years – should not detract from his achievements: alongside his powerful voice (his nickname was “Superlungs”), he was also a gifted guitarist and songwriter, while two of his albums, River (1973) and Seed of Memory (1976), would achieve retrospective critical acclaim and find, once reissued, a far wider audience than when first released.
Reid was also a valued collaborator: he performed and/or recorded with musicians from the Brazilian vocalist Gilberto Gil, through the Californian singer-songwriters Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, to the rap producer Dr Dre. When declining Page, Reid recommended he seek out Robert Plant, a teenage vocalist that he had encountered in the Midlands, and his band’s drummer, John Bonham, and thus Led Zeppelin was born. “It’s good to check your ego and support other artists’ visions,” Reid told the Guardian in 2024, adding, “I’m part of a society of musicians and I love that I can go out there and sing.”
