Dizzy Reed

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Dizzy Reed

Dizzy Reed (born June 18, 1963 in Hinsdale, Illinois) is a contemporary rock musician. He is best known for his tenure as the keyboardist for the rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured and recorded since 1990. Reed is the only remaining member of Guns N' Roses, aside from frontman Axl Rose, to remain from the band's Use Your Illusion era

Early life

Reed was born as Darren Arthur Reed on June 18, 1963 in Hinsdale, Illinois, and was raised in Colorado.[1] As a child, Reed was described as reclusive and introverted. His grandmother began teaching him to play the organ when he was a young child, and before he was out of elementary school, he formed small local bands.[2][1] At the age of fifteen, he took up keyboard playing as a release for the constant bullying he endured at school.

Music career

As an adult, Reed pursued a music career in Los Angeles. He was a founding member of the club band The Wild in the late 1980s, with whom he spent five years. He also replaced August Worchell as the guitarist of the group Johnny Crash. However, the band split up shortly after he joined.[3]

Reed met the original lineup of Guns N' Roses in 1985; his band, The Wild, rehearsed in a neighboring studio.[1] He kept in touch, and in 1990 was invited by friend Axl Rose to join the group for the recording of the two Use Your Illusion albums. His induction into GN'R was far from smooth: former bandmates Slash and Izzy have said that no one in the band but Axl talked to Reed for the first two weeks.

In spite of the rough start, Reed soon became an accepted member of the group. As a member of Guns N' Roses, Reed has become well-known for his keyboard work on such songs as November Rain, Estranged and Civil War, as well his contributions to some of the band's new tracks, including "I.R.S", "Madagascar", "Silkworms" and "The Blues". When not playing keyboards, Reed frequently provides backup on percussion during live Guns N' Roses performances.

Dizzy continues to record and play live with the current Guns N' Roses line-up, and has now been a member of Guns N' Roses longer than any other member besides Axl Rose. Since he joined the band in 1990, five years after its formation in 1985, he cannot be described as an original member. However, apart from Rose, he remains the only remaining link to the Use Your Illusion era and Guns N' Roses's heyday in the early 1990s.

Work outside Guns N' Roses

Outside of Guns N' Roses, Reed played on albums for his former bandmates Slash, Duff McKagan, and Gilby Clarke. He also guested on current Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson's 2004 solo effort Village Gorilla Head. Reed is additionally a fan of Larry Norman, a pioneer of Christian Music, and played on Norman's Copper Wires album. Most recently, he has composed music for the film scores The Still Life, released in August 2007, and Celebrity Art Show (2008).

When he is not touring or recording with Guns N' Roses, Reed frequently tours with his hard rock cover band Hookers N' Blow, in which he plays keyboard and guitar and occasionally sings lead vocals. For his work with Hookers N' Blow, Reed was named Outstanding Keyboardist of the Year at the 2007 Rock City Awards ("Rockies"). Hookers N' Blow was also named Best Cover Band.[4]

Reed has also dabbled in acting, appearing as 'Mumbles' in the 2005 film Charlie's Death Wish.[5][6]

Personal life

Reed has been married to Lisa, an author and teacher, since 1991. They have two children. When not touring, he likes to unwind by spending time with his wife, whom he describes himself as very faithful to, his children.

In 2005, Reed took the unusual step of seeking admission to a college fraternity well after the traditional age of inductees, and on January 22 2006 was admitted to the Cornell University chapter of Zeta Psi.[7][5]

Discography

With Guns N' Roses

Title Release Date Label
Use Your Illusion I 1991 Geffen
Use Your Illusion II 1991 Geffen
"The Spaghetti Incident?" 1993 Geffen
Use Your Illusion 1998 Geffen
Live Era: '87-'93 1999 Geffen
Greatest Hits 2004 Geffen
Chinese Democracy TBA Geffen

Guest appearances

Title Artist Release Date Label
Pawnshop Guitars Gilby Clarke 1994 Virgin
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere Slash's Snakepit 1995 Fontana Records
Copper Wires Larry Norman 1997 Solid Rock Records
Village Gorilla Head Tommy Stinson 2004 EMI
Strangeland Court Jester 2006 Cellar Records

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c "This week in local music: Dizzy Reed's Hollywood Bulldozer: Interview with Kate Bredimus". Richmond.com. September 16, 2004. Retrieved 2007-2-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "Dizzy up the Girl": Interview with Debbie Rao". glammetal.com. May 9, 2004. Retrieved 2007-2-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ "Dizzy Interviewed". Rock Journal. July 11, 2004. Retrieved 2007-12-30. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Rockies 2007 list of winners". Rock City News. December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-30. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Dizzy Reed does marathon interview". Metal Sludge. January 29 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Dizzy Reed at the IMDB
  7. ^ "Famous Zetes". Zeta Psi Fraternity website. Retrieved 2007-12-30.

External links

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