Bill Reed

West Virginia-born Bill Reed is a jazz record producer, historian, author, and journalist. Reed is best known for his work in revitalizing interest in mid-century vocal jazz (in particular the One Shot Wonder genre), and for producing numerous albums for the Japanese market that have received wide international acclaim.

Reed has produced more than sixty vocal jazz CDs for the Japanese market, most of which were for the label SSJ Records. Among his better known productions are a four-volume series of unreleased material by Beverly Kenney; "Down in the Depths" (2005) by singer Bill Black (culled from a fifty-year-old acetate); and the contemporary studio albums "Rain Sometimes" (2002) by Pinky Winters and "Listen Here" (2012) by Sue Raney. Other artists he has produced albums for include singer-pianist Dave Frishberg, Buddy Greco, Frankie Randall, Jane Harvey, Jack Jones, and Audrey Morris to name a few.

Reed's best selling book to date is the reference work "The Last Musical Hurrah: Jazz and Pop Singing and the Onslaught of Rock" (2016), which lists the majority of artists in the One Shot Wonder genre, along with their LP's. Other titles he has authored include: "Hot from Harlem: Profiles in Classic African-American Entertainment", "The Leonard Reed Story: Brains as Well as Feet", "Early Plastic (a memoir)", "Rock on Film", "Shared Air: My Six-Decade Interface With Celebrity," and "The Perils of Prolificity."

As a journalist, Reed has written hundreds of articles on show business, the arts, and popular music. These articles have appeared in a wide variety of U.S. publications, including "Rolling Stone," "The San Francisco Examiner," "International Documentary," and "The Los Angeles Reader." For the latter, he focused on profiles such as Sally Marr (Lenny Bruce's mother), Jo Stafford, Lord Buckley, et al. In Japan, Reed has written for publications such as "Record Collectors Magazine", "Jazz Critique", and "Swing Journal". Reed is known as "The Diva Detective" in Japan for his investigative research on obscure mid-century vocal jazz performers whose albums are still in circulation, but whose whereabouts are unknown.

Reed’s very first professional association was with "The Charleston Gazette", where, in 1963-64, he was their Civil Rights editor. He next relocated to NYC where he was employed by Empire Broadcasting as a recording engineer. On the side —- then as now —- he continued writing profiles for artists such as Little Jimmy Scott, Dusty Springfield, and Fayard Nicholas. In 1992, Reed curated a major exhibition at the California African-American Museum. "Hollywood Days and Harlem Nights." In early 1990s, Reed was also a jack-of-all-trades for video production company, The Criterion Collection.

At the present time, Reed is overseeing the issue of never-before-released CDs by such singers as Pinky Winters, Ruth Olay, and Kay Penton.

–PRODUCTION CREDITS–

REISSUE PRODUCER:

Johnny April – If You Are Not Plucked You Die • Flo Bennett – Half Past Lonely • Bill Black – Down In the Depths • Lincoln Briney – Foreign Affair (SSJ Issue) • Carole Creveling – Here Comes Carole Creveling • Sue Childs – Introducing Sue Childs • Doris Drew – Rarities • Dave Frishberg – Oklahoma Toad • Dave Frishberg & Rebecca Kilgore – Looking At You • Dave Frishberg & Karin Krog – House Concert • Mal Fitch – Mal/Content • Dick Haymes – Look At Me Now! • Flo Handy – Smoky and Intimate • Johnny Holiday – Blue Holiday • Jane Harvey – Jane Harvey • Jane Harvey – I’ve Been There • Dick and Kiz Harp – At the 90th Floor • Dick and Kiz Harp – Again! • Jack Jones – Write Me a Love Song Charlie • Richie Kamuca – At Donte’s • Bev Kelly – At the Jazz Safari • Beverly Kenney – Lonely and Blue • Beverly Kenney – What Is There To Say? • Beverly Kenney – Snuggled On Your Shoulder • Beverly Kenney – Snuggled On Your Shoulder (New Edition with bonus tracks) • Beverly Kenney – Volume Four • Barbara Lea – A Woman in Love • Lou Levy – A Touch Of Class • Frances Lynne – Remember • Audrey Morris – Afterthoughts • Linda Merrill – Linda Merrill Sings • Patti McGovern – Wednesday’s Child • Dick Noel – A Time for Love • Corky Shayne – In the Mood for A Song? • Renée Raff – Among the Stars • Jennie Smith – Nightly Yours on the Steve Allen Show • Carole Simpson – Singin’ and Swingin’ • Carole Simpson – Wise and Otherwise • Carol Sloane – Little Girl Blue • Carol Sloane – Hush-a-Bye • Carol Sloane – But Not For Me • Tony Travis – Come Swing with Me • John Wood – Blue In Green • Pinky Winters – Pinky

NEW RELEASE PRODUCER:

Various Artists – From California with Love • Sue Raney – Listen Here • Kurt Reichenbach – With a Song in My Heart (live) • Pinky Winters – Winters in Summer • Pinky Winters – Rain Sometimes • Pinky Winters – Speak Low • Pinky Winters – I’ve Got the World On A String • Pinky Winters – The Shadow Of Your Smile

UNCREDITED REISSUE PRODUCER (No Label Attribution):

David Allyn (as "David Allen") – This is My Lucky Day • Buddy Greco –The Magic of It All • Leslie Lewis – Of Two Minds • Peter Marshall – Let’s Be Frank • Frankie Randall – At It Again • Frankie Randall – I Remember You • Frankie Randall – Sings And Swings: Going The Frankie Randall Way

LINER NOTES AND PROFILES:

Betty Bennett, Evelyn Preer, James Reese Europe, Julie London (in “Swing Journal”), Bobbi Rogers, Van Alexander, Laurindo Almeida, Matt Monro, Jo Stafford, Artie Shaw, Dakota Staton, Little Jimmy Scott, Judy Garland, Frances Langford, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Chris Connor, Fayard Nicholas, Blossom Dearie, Richard Berry, Page Cavanaugh, Tim Hardin, Michel Legrand, Annie Ross, Bette Midler, Dusty Springfield…and many, many more. Show less