Terry Reid

I knew inspiration would come thick and fast for this particular blog. I have scrawled pages of band names and associated memories in a big notebook, so I don't forget who I want to write about. A song heard on the radio by chance, news of an untimely death, buying tickets for gigs in Spring 2011, connecting with old friends - it's all going to prompt me.
Last week my old friend C P Lee posted a link to Terry Reid's new Irish tour on Facebook.
In the mid 60s there was a fantastic run of package tours in Manchester. A theatre was a more respectable venue for a young teenage girl to visit- I didn't hit the basement dives until I was about 15. My friends and I saw an amazing range of artists including the Small Faces,the Beach Boys, Gene Pitney, Roy Orbison, Dave Dee etc, the wonderful Walker Brothers ( oh how we screamed for Scott). On one of the package tours, at the Odeon as I remember, there was a band with a great young singer - Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers. The singer was Terry Reid. The single was The Hand don't fit the Glove, and he was unforgettable. In the early 70s I rediscovered him as a solo artist, and some years ago ( before Spotify, Youtube and even Amazon) my lovely children tracked down River on CD for me for Mothers' Day.
I'd like to try and see him again this year.