Terry Reid

Early life and education Terrance James Reid was born in 1949 in Paxton Park Maternity Home, Little Paxton, St Neots, Huntingdonshire, England, the only child of Walter Reid, a salesman of cars and agricultural equipment, and Grace. He lived in the fens village of Bluntisham and attended St Ivo School, St Ives. He listened to classical music, Bulgarian folk and jazz, and was particularly inspired by the sound of American R&B and soul singers such as Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye. At the time, Reid was playing for a local band, The Redbeats, who regularly performed at the River Club in St Ives. In 1966, The Jaywalkers were named as a support act for the Rolling Stones during their 23-show British Tour, from September to October 1966. At the concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Graham Nash of The Hollies became friends with Reid and suggested The Jaywalkers sign up with UK Columbia Records, an EMI label, 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 disbanded.

The song "Without Expression", from Bang Bang, You're Terry Reid, was written by Reid at age 14 and later recorded under different titles. The Hollies released it as "A Man with No Expression" in 1968, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young recorded it as "Horses Through a Rainstorm" in 1969 (with Graham Nash once again singing lead), and REO Speedwagon covered it in 1973 as "Without Expression (Don't Be the Man)." John Mellencamp also included it on his greatest hits album The Best That I Could Do: 1978–1988. "Horses Through a Rainstorm" was slated to appear on Déjà Vu before being replaced at the last minute by Stephen Stills's "Carry On". Both versions were not released until years later.

Rejecting Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple

The style of what he was doing, that kind of opening up, he had a flexibility and power and control. So he could go, as Esther Phillips said, from a whisper to a scream in split seconds. Reid had already committed to go on the road for two tours with the Rolling Stones and another with Cream (as an opening act on the 1968 US Tour). Reid suggested to Page that if he were compensated for the gig fees he would lose, and if Page would call Keith Richards to explain why Reid had to pull out of the US tours, Reid would try some things out with Page. It never happened, and Reid told Page to consider a young Birmingham-based singer, Robert Plant, having previously seen Plant's Band of Joy as a support act at one of his concerts. Reid also suggested that Page check out their drummer, John Bonham. Reid also rejected offers from Ritchie Blackmore to replace departing singer Rod Evans in Deep Purple; he said the music was "too metal" and not really his style. Reid said he did not regret his decisions and was satisfied with his own career. He was reported in 2019 as saying "I don't sit around going over old coals". Also in 1969, he released his second solo album, the self-titled Terry Reid, which spent five weeks on the Billboard Top LPs chart. "Friends", a song from this album, first appeared as a segue with his version of "Highway 61 Revisited". "Friends" was later covered by Arrival, and became a UK Top 10 hit for them in January 1970.

In December 1969, Reid fell out with producer Mickie Most, who wanted him to become a balladeer and follow Most's own formula. Before this, Reid had toured extensively in major venues in the US, including two tours with the Rolling Stones and another with Cream. In a contract dispute with Most and unable to record or release his music for four years, Reid concentrated on live work, mostly in the US, whilst awaiting the outcome of litigation. He lived in a "beach shack" in the hills of California

That same year, Reid was signed by Ahmet Ertegun to Atlantic Records, with his band consisting of David Lindley, Lee Miles and Alan White. They began recording in the UK and later switched to the US. White left to join Yes and Lindley left to tour with Jackson Browne. Lee Miles remained and accompanied Reid in his musical career for many years afterwards. The recordings made during this period formed Reid's third album, River, a "jazzy, moody album" which combined "Latin American groove, soul-funk and rock". The next effort, an album entitled Rogue Waves, was produced by Chris Kimsey for Capitol Records and released in 1979. In 1991, he returned with producer Trevor Horn for the WEA album The Driver. Reid and several friends put together an informal group in March 1993, calling themselves The Flew. Its members included Reid, Joe Walsh, Nicky Hopkins, Rick Rosas, and Phil Jones. They played one show at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California. This was Nicky Hopkins' last public performance before his death.

2000s–2025 In late 2002, Reid returned to the UK with longtime bass player Lee Miles for three shows at the WOMAD festival near Reading. This was his first live appearance in years. Reid had previously had a Monday night residency performing at a bar in Beverly Hills, California, which had attracted the attention of WOMAD organizer Thomas Brooman, who invited him to perform at the festival in 2002. In 2005, he returned for a UK tour, with London shows at The 100 Club and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. A venue billed him as "The Man with a Hell of a Story To Tell".

For appearances at festivals and his London shows Reid used a full band. Venues played included The Jazz Cafe, The Borderline, The 100 Club, and Dingwalls. He was invited to return to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in 2009 for a week. Reid had residencies there for several years after. Reid appeared at the Glastonbury Festival several times,

During this period, EMI released a box set of his first two albums which included all of the sessions he had recorded for them between 1966 and 1970. The compilation was titled Superlungs. Seed of Memory and River became available on CD when they were reissued in the 2000s, bringing renewed interest in Reid's music. Three of Reid's songs, "Seed of Memory", "To Be Treated Rite", and "Brave Awakening" were featured in the 2005 film The Devil's Rejects, directed by Rob Zombie. Reid's music featured in its 2019 sequel, 3 from Hell.

In 2007, Reid began touring with American band Cosmic American Derelicts, who supported him on shows in 2008, 2014 and 2016, eventually becoming his "regular" band, as described by The Washington Post. In 2012, Reid provided vocals for the song "Listen" by DJ Shadow, a bonus track on the compilation album Reconstructed: The Best of DJ Shadow.

Around this time, Reid worked on several other collaborations that, as of 2025, remained unreleased. Rap producer Dr. Dre reportedly became "fascinated" with Reid's 1976 album Seed of Memory, and the two collaborated on a reworking on the album with contributions from other rappers affiliated with Dr. Dre. began development in 2015 with music writer Richard Frias attached as director. However, the project faced difficulties during development as Reid became frustrated with its direction. Frias believed that he and Reid's disputes over the film were exacerbated by Reid's struggles with alcohol at the time. but has never fully released, as of 2025. (Some sources have erroneously reported that the Superlungs documentary released in 2015 or 2016, but Reid was apparently dissatisfied with this trailer, as reported by The Washington Post in April 2016.) He played his final live show at The Half Moon in Putney, London, with his band at the time, including Dzal Martin on guitar, Jennifer Maidman on bass, Chris Hillman on pedal steel, and Paul Jones on drums.

By June 2025, he was suffering from cancer and had to cancel a 2025 tour because of medical issues arising from his treatment.

Personal life, illness and death Reid had two daughters, Kelly and Holly, from his first marriage to his wife Lynne in the 1970s; Reid's daughters were the subject of a custody battle in the 1990s. Later in life, Reid had issues with chain smoking and alcohol, but quit smoking and heavy drinking in 2016 following time in hospital. when fellow musician Angie Bruyere sought crowdfunding for his medical expenses. On a GoFundMe page, Bruyere wrote "Terry would never ask for this himself, which is why we’re asking for him".

Reid died of cancer in Rancho Mirage, California on 4 August 2025, aged 75.

Recognition and legacy Aretha Franklin once said of Reid, "There are only three things happening in England: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Terry Reid."

Reid, an acknowledged outstanding vocalist, was for a brief period of time considered by Jimmy Page to take up vocals for the New Yardbirds, the group that became Led Zeppelin.

Many songs originally recorded by Reid have been covered by numerous artists including The Hollies, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Marianne Faithfull, Jack White with The Raconteurs, Chris Cornell, Arrival, Cheap Trick,

Reid's early song "Rich Kid Blues" was covered on an album by Marianne Faithfull in 1984.

The American rock group The Split Squad recorded a cover of Reid's "Tinker Taylor" for their debut album, Now Hear This..., released in 2014. Joe Perry's album Sweetzerland Manifesto, released in 2018, features three tracks co-written and sung by Reid.

Following Reid's death, Geoff Edgers wrote in The Washington Post that Reid's artistry charted "a line that would be traced by so many, such as John Mellencamp, the Replacements and Jason Isbell" with genres ranging from electric blues to Americana; Edgers compared Reid's vocals to the Black Crowes "born 20 years earlier" and eulogized his "voice that influenced many others". No. 153 on the Billboard Top LPs Terry Reid (1969) (US title: Move Over for Terry Reid) No. 147 on the Billboard Top LPs Seed of Memory (1976) Rogue Waves (1978) The Driver (1991) Super Lungs: The Complete Studio EMI Recordings 1966–1969 (2004) The Other Side of the River (2016, outtakes from River) Alive (2004) Silver White Light – Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (2004) Live in London (2012) Glastonbury Fayre (1972), directed by Nicolas Roeg, features "Dean", an extended jam with Linda Lewis. The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) features an appearance from Reid in a cameo role as a golf caddy.

Use in other media Days of Thunder (1990), directed by Tony Scott, features "Gimme Some Lovin'". The Criminal (produced in 1999 and released in 2001) features "Dean". Reid became good friends with the film's producer Chris Johnson, who also become Reid's business advisor. Wonderland (2003) features "Faith to Arise" and "Dean". The Devil's Rejects (2005), directed by Rob Zombie, features "Brave Awakening", "To Be Treated Rite" and "Seed of Memory". Up in the Air (2009) features "Be Yourself". The Summit (2013 documentary) features "July" over the closing credits. Win It All (2017) features "Faith to Arise". 3 from Hell (2019), directed by Rob Zombie, features "Faith to Arise", which is played over the end credits; "The Frame" is also heard on a car radio.