Terry Reid, British Singer Who Turned Down Led Zeppelin, Dead at 75
by Jeff Tamarkin
Terry Reid, the British singer-songwriter and guitarist whose powerful vocal style earned him the nickname “Superlungs,” died yesterday, August 4, 2025. Reid had been in ill health recently and was forced to cancel a planned fall tour. A GoFundMe page had been established to raise funds to help Reid in his fight against cancer, bringing in more than $46,000. Reid was 75.
In a tribute to his friend, guitarist Joe Bonamassa wrote, “It was an honor to get to know you as friend and a musical mentor. I will miss our hangs and stories in Palm Springs. One of the greatest to ever do it and a beautiful person and soul.”
To many rock fans, Reid is best known as the performer who was offered the frontman’s role in the nascent Led Zeppelin, and turned it down as he did not want to cancel a planned tour. (Legend has it that Reid, in turn, recommended Robert Plant to Jimmy Page.) Similarly, Reid reportedly said no thanks to Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore’s invitation to join that band.
Robert paid tribute: “Terry Reid’s enthusiasm and encouragement were incredible back then … still teenagers we crashed each others’ gigs and crucified 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.” [More tributes are below.]
In all, Reid released seven studio and four live albums during his career, which was still ongoing until shortly before his death. Although he never reached the popularity some had predicted for him early in his career, Reid built a dedicated fanbase and was highly respected by his fellow musicians. According to his Wikipedia entry, Reid’s compositions have been recorded by the Hollies, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, Arrival, Marianne Faithfull, Cheap Trick, Jack White with the Raconteurs, Joe Perry, Rumer and Chris Cornell.
Terry Reid in 1974 (Photo from his Wikipedia page)
Terrance James Reid was born on Nov. 13, 1949, in St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, England, and joined the band Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers in the early 1960s. That band opened for the Rolling Stones on a 1966 U.K. tour and recorded a single for Columbia Records but soon disbanded. Going out as a solo artist, Reid came to the attention of producer Mickie Most, who became his manager and produced his first solo single, “Better By Far.”
Reid’s debut album, Bang, Bang, You’re Terry Reid, was also produced by Most and released on the Epic label in 1968 in the U.S., but failed to reach higher than #153 on the Billboard LPs chart. An opening slot on Cream’s American tour helped to spread Reid’s reputation in the States, and reportedly led to the invitation to join Page’s new band, but Reid decided to stick with his solo career instead.
Listen to “Dean,” a song from Reid’s River album
In 1969, Reid opened tours in the U.K. for Jethro Tull and Fleetwood Mac, and perhaps attained his most prominent following in America when he opened for the Rolling Stones’ 1969 U.S. tour (although he did not appear at Altamont). Most produced Reid’s sophomore album that year, a self-titled effort, but it too failed to gain much traction sales-wise. Following a falling out with Most, Reid did not record again until 1973, when he released the album River, produced by Tom Dowd for Atlantic Records. Again, although it received mostly positive reviews, the album failed to catch on; nor did 1976’s Seed of Memory, produced by Graham Nash. None of Reid’s subsequent releases, which included Rogue Waves (1978), The Driver (1991) and The Other Side of the River (2016), charted in the U.S. His four live albums also pleased his dedicated following without scoring on the charts.
Terry Reid in his later years (Photo from his GoFundMe)
Nonetheless, Reid continued to pursue his solo career throughout most of the subsequent years, concentrating on session work, appearing on albums by Don Henley, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt, among others. In the early ’90s, Reid co-formed a short-lived band called the Flew, which also included Joe Walsh and Nicky Hopkins. Reid continued to perform live as well, particularly in England—he released an album, Live in London, recorded there at the jazz club Ronnie Scott’s. In the early 2000s, Reid headlined a residency at a Los Angeles club, the Joint, where his guests included Robert Plant, Keith Richards, Eric Burdon and Roger Daltrey.
Watch Terry Reid perform “Superlungs” in Paris in 1970
Graham Nash wrote, “Finding it hard to put into words how sad I am about the passing of my dear friend Terry. How was it just a few short months ago we were smiling on my bus together? He was such a force. A talent beyond what I can express right now. It is still one of my proudest moments having produced his beautiful album, Seed of Memory. That voice. That guitar playing. That wonderful person we will all miss so dearly.”
The singer and songwriter known professionally as Marcella Detroit wrote, “He was an inspiration to me and the real deal. RIP Terry, go fly with the angels.”
Related: Musician and celebrity deaths of 2025
Many of Reid’s recordings are available in the U.K. here, in the U.S. here and in Canada here.
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationGraham Nash performed in Akron, Ohio last night and dedicated the show to his friend Terry. Very touching.