L-R; Keith Webb, Terry Reid, Bill Bonham
Terry “Superlungs” Reid was always the guy that should’ve been. Plagued by bad luck and bad management, sprinkled with a smattering of disastrous career moves, he never quite achieved the heights of his many of his contemporaries; though his amazing voice surely warranted it. His career is littered with false starts. The chief culprit in the early days was Mickie Most, who insisted on Reid recording pop fodder that bordered on the inane and was an insult to his massive vocal talent. Touring in the 60’s with such greats as Cream and The Rolling Stones, he nevertheless built up a loyal fanbase.
Terry accompanied by Mr.Keith Richards at The Joint in L.A.
In hindsight, his insistence that Jimmy Page should check out a young birmingham singer instead of himself for his new group Led Zeppelin looks like commercial suicide, as does his decision to turn down Deep Purple, prior to them choosing a certain Ian Gillan. But despite all this his brilliance occasionally shone through. His eponymously titled second album is widely regarded as his tour de force.
The seventies saw Terry release three albums, utilising Eddie Offord, Graham Nash, and Trevor Horn respectively on The River, Seed of Memory and Rogue Waves, but none really set the charts alight.
I admit to a little favouritism here, as I was a good friend of Terry’s drummer in his heyday, Keith Webb. Two tracks I recommend that will have you going “Who is that guy?” are;
Season of the Witch Terry gives Donovan’s song the treatment.
Rich Kid Blues Also released by Marianne Faithful, this is THE version.
Keith sadly died earlier this year, but Terry continues to do what he does best, including a triumphant return to Glastonbury in 2005, along with providing three tracks for the cult horror movie The Devil’s Rejects. Check him out. Terry Reid. An unsung hero indeed.
Terry at Glastonbury
Unsung Heroes 