Terry Reid And His ‘River’ — More Than Just A Rock Music Footnote
From a man who declined to be the ‘New Yardbirds’ singer, among other things
For many, particularly in his native England, singer/songwriter/guitarist Terry Reid just might be an interesting footnote in rock music history.
After all, he’s the man who ‘politely declined’ to become the singer of New Yardbirds back in 1968. You know, the band that changed its name to Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant didn’t decline, and rock history went its way. But what about Reid?
He said ‘Bang, Bang You’re Terry Reid,”’ (his initial solo album in 1968) and it seems the title of one of the best-known songs American singer/songwriter Tom Rush wrote, “No Regrets” fits in quite well here.
In retrospect, having in mind the career he went through compared to one he could have had, it seems that Terry Reid is humming this tune quite often. You are considered as one of the greatest voices around in the Sixties and Seventies, are offered a singing job with Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple (turned both down, even recommending Plant to Page), supported Cream and The Rolling Stones on their US Tours (including Stones at Altamont), had ten official albums issued in your career, one of them a stone-cold masterpiece, and arm the beneficiary of nothing except screaming recommendations from other…
