The Peculiar Truth about Dean Reed, the Russian Elvis
Published in
4 min readOct 24, 2023
- 1938: Dean Reed was born in Colorado to an all-American family.
- He graduated from high school in 1956 at age 18, the same year Elvis Presley first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show at age 21.
- Dean was handsome and a singer and guitarist, so the next year he moved to Los Angeles to get into showbiz. Columbia Records signed him to a record contract, and he landed small television roles.
- Throughout the late 50s and early 60s, Reed released several pop singles. Only one tune, The Search, made it onto the US music sales charts, but just barely. Columbia sold his contract to a syndicated company.
- Dean hated Hollywood.
- By 1962, Reed’s single Our Summer Romance became a smash hit in South America. So the record company sent him there on tour. He was mobbed when he arrived.
- In the early 60s, Dean Reed was as popular and famous in South America as Elvis and the Beatles were in the US.
- Whenever he returned to America, however, Reed remained largely unknown.
- He married his first wife, a fellow American named Patti whom he had met in Los Angeles.
- They moved to Argentina, a nation in political turmoil. Reed espoused Socialism, participated in protests, and publicly…
