Dizzy Reed
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Dizzy Reed is the keyboardist for the rock band Guns N' Roses. He has been a member of Guns N' Roses since 1990, playing on their 1991 blockbuster albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, as well as, on the band's 1993 punk cover album, The Spaghetti Incident?. Aside from lead singer W. Axl Rose, he is the only remaining member from what is considered the band's heyday. However, because Guns N' Roses was formed in 1985 with Dizzy joining in 1990, he cannot technically be described as an original member.
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[edit] Early life
Reed was born as Darren Arthur Reed on June 18, 1963 in Hinsdale, Illinois. As a child, Dizzy was described as reclusive and introverted. At the age of fifteen, he took up keyboard playing as a release for the constant bullying he endured at school. Hours of practice paid off, and he soon began playing at his local church.
[edit] Music career
As an adult, Reed pursured a music career in Los Angeles. He was a founding member of the club band The Wild in the late 1980s, and also replaced August Worchell as the guitarist of the group Johnny Crash. However, the band split up shortly after he joined.
In 1990, Reed was offered a position in his friend Axl Rose's band, Guns N' Roses. He joined the group for the recording of the two Use Your Illusion albums, and has remained with them ever since. His induction into GNR was far from smooth: former bandmates Slash and Izzy have said that no one in the band but Axl talked to Dizzy for the first two weeks.
In spite of the rough start, Reed soon became an accepted member of the group. As a member of Guns N' Roses, Reed has become well-known for his keyboard work on such songs as November Rain, Estranged and Civil War (song), as well as, on some of the band's new tracks, including "I.R.S", "Madagascar", "Silkworms" and "The Blues". When not playing keyboards, Reed frequently provides backup on percussion during live Guns N' Roses performances.
Dizzy continues to record and play live with the current Guns N' Roses line-up, and has now been a "Gunner" (a member of Guns N' Roses) longer then any other member besides Axl Rose. His presence in the band remains a point of contention amongst fans. Some fans feel Reed's work took away from the "street" sound Guns demonstrated on its first album Appetite for Destruction, while others are grateful for the more complex musical sound Guns achieved on the Use Your Illusion albums partly thanks to Reed's keyboard and piano work, as well as, for the fact that he has remained in the band providing an additional link to its famous past beyond Axl himself.
Outside of Guns N' Roses, Reed played on albums for his former bandmates Slash, Duff McKagan, and Gilby Clarke in the mid 1990s. He has also guested on current GNR bassist Tommy Stinson's 2004 solo effort Village Gorilla Head Reed is additionally a fan of Larry Norman, a pioneer of Christian Music, and played on Norman's Copper Wires album. Reed has also composed music for several film scores, including The Still Life (2005).
When not touring or recording with Guns N' Roses, Reed frequently tours with his hard rock cover band Hookers N' Blow, in which he has played keyboards, guitar and occasionally sung lead vocals.
[edit] Personal life
Reed has been married to Lisa, an author and teacher, for almost 15 years. They have two children. When not touring, he likes to unwind by spending time with his wife, whom he describes himself as very faithful to, his children and tending to his stamp collection.
In 2005, Reed took the unusual step of seeking admission to a college fraternity well after the traditional age of inductees, and on 22 January 2006 was admitted to the Cornell University chapter of Zeta Psi.[1].
[edit] Album appearances
- Use Your Illusion I (1991)
- Use Your Illusion II (1991)
- The Spaghetti Incident? (1993)
- Live Era: '87-'93 (1999)
- Greatest Hits (2004)
- Chinese Democracy (2006?)
[edit] External link
- gunsnroses.com - Official Guns N' Roses website
- Dizzy Reed at the IMDB
- Official Hookers N' Blow website
| Guns N' Roses |
| Axl Rose | Dizzy Reed | Robin Finck | Tommy Stinson | Chris Pitman | Bryan Mantia | Richard Fortus | Ron Thal | Frank Ferrer |
| Former Members: Ole Beich | Rob Gardner | Tracii Guns | Steven Adler | Izzy Stradlin | Gilby Clarke | Slash | Matt Sorum | Duff McKagan | Josh Freese | Paul Tobias | Buckethead |
| Discography |
| Albums: Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide | Appetite for Destruction | G N' R Lies | Use Your Illusion I | Use Your Illusion II | The Spaghetti Incident? | Use Your Illusion | Live Era: '87-'93 | Greatest Hits | Chinese Democracy |
| Related articles |
| Use Your Illusion Tour | Adler's Appetite | Neurotic Outsiders | Slash's Snakepit | Velvet Revolver | UZI Suicide |
