Terry Reid, the British singer whose powerful, soulful voice earned him the nickname “Superlungs” as well as offers to join Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, has died after a battle with cancer, as confirmed by the Guardian. He was 75.
Reid’s talents were revered by the British rock royalty of the 1960s and ‘70s and was Jimmy Page’s first choice to be Led Zeppelin’s singer when he formed the band in 1968. Yet he declined that offer and even recommended Robert Plant, who would become a global superstar in the role — along with a later offer to join Deep Purple in favor of pursuing a solo career that garnered him praise from critics and peers but little chart success.
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Still, over the years his songs have been covered by everyone from Marianne Faithfull and Cheap Trick to Chris Cornell and Jack White’s Raconteurs, and Aretha Franklin famously said after a trip to the U.K. in 1968: “There are only three things happening in England: the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Terry Reid.”
Plant posted a remembrance on social media just hours after Reid’s death was announced: “Terry Reid’s enthusiasm and encouragement were incredible back then … still teenagers we crashed each others’ gigs and crucified [Donovan’s song] ‘Season of the Witch’ time and time again … So much fun. So on it. He was all of everything … such charisma. His voice, his range … his songs capturing that carefree era … Superlungs indeed. He catapulted me into an intense new world he chose to decline … I listen now to his album ‘The River’ and shed a tear for my brother in arms.”
Whether Reid or those bands would have achieved similar levels of success had he joined will never be known, but he certainly did not lack opportunities for superstardom. Born in Cambridgeshire in 1949, Reid performed with such bands as the Redbeats and Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers in his early teens, and by the age of 16 was supporting the Rolling Stones on their legendary 1966 British tour with Ike & Tina Turner and the Yardbirds (in the short-lived lineup featuring Page and Jeck Beck). He struck out as a solo artist and toured the U.S. with the Stones in 1969, the reason he cited for declining Page’s offer to join Zeppelin. He ended up recommending both Plant and drummer John Bonham, who he knew from their earlier group Band of Joy.
“I was intent on doing my own thing,” Reid told the Guardian in 2024. “I contributed half the band – that’s enough on my part!”
The following year he also declined guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’s offer to be Deep Purple’s lead singer, a role that was ultimately taken by Ian Gillan — who also helped lead that band to superstardom.
Reid signed a management and label deal with Mickie Most, who oversaw hits by Donovan, Lulu, Herman’s Hermits and Beck during the 1960s but was a classic iron-fisted British artist manager. His debut album, “Bang Bang, You’re Terry Reid,” included the oft-covered song “Without Expression,” and its eponymous 1969 follow-up (arguably his best) included “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace,” which was covered by Brit-rock connoisseurs Cheap Trick on their 1977 debut album. But despite tours with Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull and others, success eluded him and he split with Most; an ensuing contractual dispute derailed his career for the next few years.
He finally returned in 1973 with the album “River” and relocated to California, but his solo career stagnated and he worked on sessions with Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley and Jackson Browne. He later jammed with the Replacements in 1990 during sessions for their final album, “All Shook Down,” and the following year no less a producer than Trevor Horn (Seal, ABC, Yes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood) attempted to relaunch Reid’s career with the album “The Driver,” to little commercial avail. Later in his career, he recorded with a seemingly unlikely producer, Dr. Dre, who “became fascinated with [Reid’s album] ‘Seed of Memory’ and invited me into his studio where we reworked it alongside his rappers, a fascinating experience,” he told the Guardian.
Reid continued to perform in recent years, appearing often with the L.A. collective Wild Honey, and he was set to launch his biggest U.K. tour in decades next month. But his health took a turn for the worse in recent weeks.
He is survived by his wife, Annette.
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