Irene Reid

Irene Reid (September 23, 1930 - January 4, 2008) was an American jazz singer.

Reid was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia. She sang in church and in high school in Georgia, and moved to New York City in 1947 after her mother died. Toward the end of 1947, she tied out for an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and won the competition for five straight weeks. Soon after she was offered a slot as the featured vocalist with Dick Vance at the Savoy Ballroom, which she held from 1948-1950.

In 1961-62, Reid sang with Count Basie's orchestra, and recorded for Verve Records. She later performed in a Broadway production of the musical The Wiz. Additionally, she sang with Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, and B.B King. Reid receded from fame in the 1970s and 1980s, but launched a comeback near the end of that decade. She appeared at the Savannah Jazz Festival in 1991, 1994, and 1996, and continued releasing albums on Savant Records in the 1990s and 2000s.

In 2002, British DJ duo Beginerz sampled Reid's vocals to make the club hit "Reckless Girl."

In 2009, Grammy Award winning American female rapper, Lil' Kim, sampled Reid's vocals to make the hit "I Came Back For You".

Discography

• It's Only the Beginning for Irene Reid (MGM Records, 1963)
• Room for One More (Verve Records, 1965)
• It's Too late (Verve, 1966)
• A Man Only Does (What a Woman Makes Him Do) (Verve, 1967)
• I've been here all the time (Barry)
• The World Needs What I Need (Polydor Records, 1971)
• Two Of Us (Glades Records, 1976)
• The Lady from Savannah (Birdland Records), 1989)
• Thanks to You (Inspire, 1991) Dedicated to her grandson Rodney S Reid
• Million Dollar Secret (Savant Records, 1997)
• I Ain't Doing Too Bad (Savant, 1999)
• The Uptown Lowdown (Savant, 1999)
• Movin' Out (Savant, 1999)
• One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (Savant, 2001)

References

• Irene Reid at Allmusic