Tommy Reid

Nationally acclaimed singer and songwriter, Tommy Lee Reid died Monday afternoon, April 20, 2009, in Colleton County. He was 67.



Tommy Lee Reid a native of Norfolk, Virginia was born June 9, 1941, and was a son of Bruno Moore Reid and Ruby Lois Karriker Reid. He was reared in Jacksonboro on Hope Plantation, near Edisto and as a child went to Hilton Head Island to hunt wild hogs. As quoted in an entertainment article in 1991, he said "There was nothing on the beach but sand, you had to come by boat". He was five years old, when his father purchased him his first guitar which he learned how to play by ear. He was educated at Cottageville public schools and graduated in the class of 1960 from Walterboro High School. Longtime choral teacher and mentor, the late D.M. Buckner, had a great influence on his career, long before he knew where his travels would take him, before eventually ending up back at home.



He began professionally in Washington, D.C. with the Roy Buchanan Blues Band as bassist and lead singer. Because he was still serving in the military he had to leave Roy Buchanan when he was levied to Vietnam. He served his country faithfully in the United States Army during the Vietnam Conflict which lead him to be decorated with two purple hearts, It was during that six year tenure in the military that Tommy decided on a career in music. During a stay at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington for six months after being hit by shrapnel from a grenade, he became the protg of Roy Buchanan before landing in Nashville after his military career ended.



In 1966, Tommy was part of a USO Tour with the Jimmy Case Road Show, performing in Germany, England, France, Iceland, Bermuda, Alaska, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan, as well as on military bases across the United States. After touring two years overseas, Tommy was offered a job in Nashville with the Marty Robbins Show performing one-night concerts and fair dates from coast to coast. When Marty was a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Tommy realized his dream of playing on this hallowed stage for about five years. When Marty disbanded his road show, Tommy later joined the Roy Drusky Show, the Roy Orbinson Show, and also worked with Jerry Lee Lewis. Together, Jerry Lee Lewis and Tommy toured Canada and England extensively with other Blues and Fifties' greats such as: Fats Domino, Bobby Helms, J. Frank Wilson, Carl Perkins, B.B. King and Charlie Rich. He then went on to form his own fifties and Top-Forty bands. While touring with these "great stars" he played for as many as 60,000 fans at a single show. However, it remained a fact that he preferred quieter more personal settings for performance.





During his years in Nashville, he wrote songs for Tree International Publishing, Buckhorn (Kristofferson's publishing company), performed on many television shows and recorded for several major recording companies in Nashville, Memphis, Cincinnati and Columbus. In addition, he produced and co-produced seven albums and singles himself.



As a people person, Tommy was quoted in 1991 saying "People were everywhere, I enjoyed it at first, but the thing I missed was the personal contact with the people." The pace was intense, and he performed on the road 280 to 300 days a year. After twenty-six years, he decided to slow the pace a little, taking a break from the road now and then. It was at this point that he added the title captain to his name. As a licensed sea captain, he spent several months a year doing fishing charters and transporting boats up and down the coast. However, still after a semi-retirement from his life of performing, he still traveled the Southeastern club circuit six to eight months a year to perform and see his people. He didn't perform for the money or for the much acclaimed fame that he acquired, he did it for the people. His joy came from taking people's minds away from the current troubles of the world with his easy tempo and array of songs from his own arrangements to the arrangements that his deep gravelly voice gave a new sound too, from those such as the Righteous Brothers, Ray Charles, or any request he was given.



Since 1981, Tommy used his creative talents as a song writer and record producer on a nationwide scale. His experience included national television performances, band and artist bookings, as well as in his earlier years, many years in food and beverage management for a major hotel chain. Using a single act, he performed in major hotels and clubs on the eastern seaboard and throughout Florida. A unique bluesy voice and southern easy-going style made him a crowd pleaser along with his smooth and professional performance. By playing guitar, singing, kicking bass pedals, to provide good solid sound and dance music, in his own way, he became a legend of his own making.



It all ended in the county he grew up in. The last of his performances was a two-week engagement at the Rice Paddy Lounge in Walterboro. After being all over the World, it was his community he loved so dearly. It was a real good experience for him to come back home. It was here, in his hometown, that he learned that people did things for each other, while expecting nothing in return. The small town lounge, where he performed his final gig, was a far cry from the major coliseums that he packed, but it was this lifestyle, more leisurely in its demeanor that he preferred.



Mr. Reid will be interred in a private service at Crawl Creek Family Cemetery at Hope Plantation.



For those that would like to pay tribute, a memorial service for friends and family to celebrate his life will be held in the summer, on June 9, 2009. Details will be available closer to time.



Surviving are: a daughter, Casey Stearns and her husband Derrick of Saint James, Florida; a granddaughter, McKenna; as well as longtime friends and caregivers, Johnny and Carolyn Godley, Kevin and Kristy Godley Neumuyer, Amy and David Freeman, Terron and Pam Roberts all of Jacksonboro. There are four special nieces, Kristen Roberts, Kelsey Roberts, Braylee Bennett and Chesney Bennett.



No flowers by request. Memorial contributions may be directed in his memory to: Colleton County Relay for Life, 5900 Core Road, Suite 504, North Charleston, South Carolina 29406.

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