Additional Bio:
Terry Reid was born in Huntingdon; he lived in Bluntisham & attended St.Ivo School, St.Ives, Cambridgeshire. After leaving school at the age of 16, 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. Regularly played at the River Club in St Ives. 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 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 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. With accompanying musicians Peter Solley on organ and Keith Webb on drums, 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.
The song "Without Expression" by Reid and Graham Nash, from Bang Bang, You're Terry Reid, was recorded by The Hollies in 1968 as "A Man With No Expression" and by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1969 as "Horses Through a Rainstorm", with Nash singing lead on both. Both versions were not released until years later.[1]
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, the New Yardbirds, which was to become Led Zeppelin. Reid had already committed to go on the road with Cream (as an opening act on the 1968 US Tour). So he suggested to Page that he consider a young Birmingham based singer, Robert Plant, instead, having previously seen Plant's Band of Joy as a support act at one of his concerts. An alternative reason for Reid's refusal to join the nascent Led Zeppelin surfaced in a mid 80's article in NME on supposed satanic connections within the rock world. The article claimed that it was Page's "heavy reputation as a Crowleyan black magician", which frightened Reid away from commitment to the band. Reid later was offered a position as a member of Deep Purple when they decided to replace singer Rod Evans, but once again, he declined due to contractual agreements. Ian Gillan was given the position instead.
In 1969, Reid supported British tours, notably Jethro Tull and Fleetwood Mac. Reid, Solley and Webb toured the United States again when he opened for The Rolling Stones on their 1969 American Tour. He did not appear at the infamous Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Music Festival.[2] In his May 2016 interview with Marc Maron, he discussed other groups and people he toured with including Jimi Hendrix.
In December 1969, Reid had a falling out with producer Mickie Most, who wanted Reid to become a balladeer, and to strictly follow his own formula. Reid 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, supported by David Lindley and Tim Davis. During this period he also performed at the Atlanta II Pop Festival.[3] Reid was filmed performing in Glastonbury Fayre, the 1971 film by David Puttnam and Nicolas Roeg. In 1973, Reid returned with a new contract with Atlantic Records and a new album titled River. Produced by Yes' Eddie Offord, the album received favourable reviews, but failed commercially.
Reid playing in New York City, in 2010
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, UFO, High Stakes & Dangerous Men 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 written by Steve Winwood: "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, with backing vocals performed by Enya. Reid has since been playing occasional live gigs with a band which has included Brian Auger. In the 1990s he also toured in the US and Hong Kong with ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. In 1998, "Rich Kid Blues" was the eponymous song on an album released by Marianne Faithfull, produced by Mike Leander in 1984 but unreleased for 14 years. Touring in support of her 2002 album Kissin Time, Faithfull included a performance of "Rich Kid Blues" in her playlist.
In late 2005, Reid returned to the UK for his first tour in years. 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", (the title track to Seed of Memory), "To Be Treated Rite", and "Brave Awakening", appeared in the movie The Devil's Rejects (2005), directed by Rob Zombie. Also, his song "Faith To Arise" was in the 2003 film Wonderland. In July/August 2007 Reid returned for another six-week UK tour being backed by The Cosmic American Derelicts, a band out of northern New Jersey and Southern New York.
On 26 June 2009, Reid appeared with Cosmic American Derelicts guitarist Eddie to perform at ex-band mate Peter Jay's Great Yarmouth club The Residence. At this gig Terry appeared on stage with the local support band Second Hand Blues to perform a cover of the Donovan song "Season of the Witch", this song has become one of the most watched videos of Terry Reid on YouTube, Terry also performed with Peter Jay for the first time in over 15 years on a cover of The Beach Boys song "Don't Worry Baby". On 28 June 2009, Reid and his band performed on The Park stage at the Glastonbury Festival. More recently Reid's voice was heard on the track "Listen" by DJ Shadow, on his best of album.
The American rock group Cheap Trick recorded Reid's "Speak Now" for their debut album. Also, in 1973, the American rock group REO Speedwagon recorded Reid's "Without Expressions (Don't Be The Man)" for their Ridin' The Storm Out album. "Without Expression (Don't Be The Man)" was also recorded by John Mellencamp on his greatest hits album, The Best That I Could Do: 1978–1988.
The Raconteurs with Jack White recorded a version of Reid's "Rich Kid Blues" for their second album Consolers of the Lonely in 2008.
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.
The pairing of Shine and Reid debuted at the Pigalle Club in London on 26 August 2009. A studio collaboration, Shine featuring Terry Reid, was released as an MP3 EP in November 2009.
He returned to the UK to do a series of shows. The shows he did at The Jazz Café in London were recorded and released as the live album Live in London.
A documentary based on Reid's music career titled Superlungs is currently in production (2016) and features a quote by Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant stating "Terry was probably the best singer of that period".
Superlungs My Supergirl
Terry Reid Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wherever there's a scene she's always hanging around
She's so naive and innocent and looks at you with awe
She's only fourteen but she knows how to draw, yeah
Whoa, super lungs
Whoa, super lungs
She's too busy getting high with her classmates in school
Teachers all ignore her, they would if they could
But she ain't quite grown up yet but her breathing's real good
Come on now
Whoa, super lungs
I said now that's what she's got, super lungs
I know I need me some super lungs
Whoa, super lungs
Whoa, super, super
Super, super, super, super
Do, do, do, do, do, do
Whoa yeah, whoa, whoa yeah
The opening lyrics of Terry Reid's song 'Superlungs My Supergirl' describe an archetype of a girl that can be found in every town, one who is always present at the social scene, seemingly innocent yet shrewd in her behavior. She may be only fourteen, but she already has the knack of drawing attention and admiration from those around her. The lyrics continue to describe her smoking habits and her ability to hold her breath for extended periods of time without showing any signs of strain or effort. The song is partly an ode to the talent and charm of such a girl, but it also seems to hint at the dangers of teenage smoking.
The chorus of the song focuses on her exceptional lung capacity, referring to it as 'super lungs.' The repeated use of the phrase emphasizes her breathing abilities, highlighting it as a source of her strength and allure. The song acknowledges that the girl may not be fully grown-up yet, as it says, “she ain't quite grown up yet,” which seems to suggest that she is still in the process of forming her identity and finding her place within the world. Nevertheless, the admiration and awe shown towards her hints that there is already something remarkable and magnetic about her, whether it is through her charisma, beauty, or talent.
Overall, the song presents a captivating picture of a girl whose charm and allure are inseparable from risky behavior and habits. It's an intriguing take on adolescence, highlighting its rites of passage, risks, and pleasures.
Line by Line Meaning
You find the kind of girl in every town
A teenage girl who displays a certain behavior exists in every locality.
Wherever there's a scene she's always hanging around
She's always present at any social function or gathering.
She's so naive and innocent and looks at you with awe
She's lacking in worldly experience and often admires others eagerly.
She's only fourteen but she knows how to draw, yeah
Even though she's still young, she has a knack for creative artistry.
Whoa, super lungs
An admiration for her impressive breathing capacity.
She never gets involved with blowing her cool
She rarely loses her composure or gets agitated.
She's too busy getting high with her classmates in school
She participates in recreational drug use with her peers.
Teachers all ignore her, they would if they could
The school staff is aware of her drug use but does nothing to stop it.
But she ain't quite grown up yet but her breathing's real good
Although still a child, her lungs are healthy and strong due to her smoking habits.
Come on now
An invitation to appreciate her outstanding ability.
I said now that's what she's got, super lungs
Further acknowledgement of her remarkable breathing capacity.
I know I need me some super lungs
An expression of admiration for her physical talent.
Whoa, super, super
A continued sense of amazement and astonishment towards her lungs.
Super, super, super, super
Repeated emphasis on her exceptional lung capacity.
Do, do, do, do, do, do
Vocalization of the melody, indicating musical transition or emphasis.
Whoa yeah, whoa, whoa yeah
Exclamations expressing excitement and enthusiasm towards her super lungs.
Contributed by Madison V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.