Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harvey Reid has honed his craft over the last 33 years in countless clubs, festivals, streetcorners, cafes, schools and concert halls across the nation. He has been called a "giant of the steel strings" and "one of the true treaures of American acoustic music." He has absorbed a vast repertoire of American contemporary and roots music and woven it into his own colorful, personal and distinctive style. His 20 recordings on Woodpecker Records showcase his mastery of many instruments and styles of acoustic music, from hip folk to slashing slide guitar blues to bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, ragtime, and even classical.
Reid's skills and versatility
on the guitar alone mark him as an important new voice in acoustic music. He won
the 1981 National Fingerpicking Guitar Competition and the 1982 International
Autoharp competition. Yet he's also a veteran musician with a long list of studio
and band credits, a strong flatpicker who has won the Beanblossom bluegrass guitar
contest, a versatile and engaging singer, a powerful lyricist, prolific composer,
arranger and songwriter, a solid mandolin and bouzouki player, and a seasoned
performer and captivating entertainer. And he plays the 6-string banjo and the
autoharp like you've never heard.
Reid started playing guitar in his early
teens in Maryland, and fell in with the now-legendary DC-area bluegrass
scene. After street-fiddling and playing old-time and bluegrass music for close
to 8 years, he moved into his van in the late 1970's and began pursuing solo acoustic
songs & instrumental music, primarily fingerstyle acoustic guitar and autoharp.
After stints in a bluegrass band in Colorado, playing Telecaster in a country
band in Virginia, and a winter in Nashville, Reid migrated to Northern New England,
playing 5 nights a week on the "blue-collar" folk circuit in Maine and
New Hampshire, while developing his own personal blend of American acoustic music.
Although Reid has been somewhat reclusive, his reputation as a musician's
musician is spreading fast. Even though he is not associated with any record labels
or hype machinery, his music is having an impact--he was included on the 1995
Rhino Records Acoustic Music of the 90's CD, and his Steel Drivin' Man
CD was voted in 1996 by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as one of the 10 Essential Folk
CD's of all time, in company with Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez and other hallowed names. His music appeared on the blockbuster
BBC television series Billy Connolly's World Tour of Scotland. He has become a featured act at
many of America's premier concert clubs and festivals, including Merlefest, the
Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the Walnut Valley Festival. Radio DJ's and critics
nationwide are discovering his remarkable recordings, and audiences coast-to-coast
are flocking to catch his exciting and uplifting concerts.
Reid has also
made his mark on the acoustic music world in other ways. He is responsible for
most of what is known about the partial capo, developed all of the popular partial-capo
configurations in use today, (including the Esus) was the first to record and
publish music for partial capo. In 1980 he co-founded the Third Hand Capo Co.
Also in 1980 he wrote the first college textbook for folk guitar, titled Modern
Folk Guitar, it was published by Random House and is still in print and available
from Woodpecker Records. Harvey was the person who convinced Fishman Transducers
to develop the Acoustic Blender amplification system, worked on the design team,
and even wrote the instructions for it. He may have been the first acoustic independent
musician to make a CD, and certainly was among the first to make DAT recordings,
and helped usher in the new era of direct-to-digital recordings with a series
of articles he wrote for acoustic music magazines. He was also the first artist
to endorse Taylor Guitars, and began doing promotion for them in 1983.
Reid's success "under the radar" has become a role model for a large
number of young, independent musicians who want to pursue their careers outside
the music industry.
Reid prides himself on his independence, and sees
himself as a modern embodiment of the ancient minstrels. You'll find elements
of the traditional troubadour, the modern poet-songwriter, the American back-porch
picker, the classical virtuoso, and even a good bit of Will Rogers style dry humor
and satire. You'll hear folk, country, classical, blues, ragtime, rockabilly,
Celtic, bluegrass, and popular music influences. Although Reid has a vast repertoire
of traditional and contemporary songs, his concert material consists mostly of
his own compositions and traditional music.
Don't miss a chance to hear
the Master Minstrel in concert or to hear his amazing recordings.
A Musical Biography of Harvey Reid
"...one of the true treasures of American acoustic music ." ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE
"Reid is truly a giant of the steel strings...wonderful twists of originality and emotional depth... a wealth of techniques and ideas." GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE.
"Harvey Reid is a one-man history of acoustic music." The Missoulian
"...a
folk-style artist deserving of wider popular recognition... Unlike some virtuosos,
he brings wit and panache as well as technique to his music." BOSTON GLOBE
"...Reid dazzles an audience with an array of stringed weapons."
DENVER POST
"An incredible solo guitarist.... Reid
plays mandolin, funky slide guitar blues, ethereal 12-string and scorching electric
with equal authority; and the best part is, he's really fun."
L.A.
WEEKLY
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