John Reid (music)

John Reid is a Scottish manager and music industry figure, currently living and working in Australia.

Early life

Reid was born in Paisley, the son of John Reid, a welder, and Betty, a supermarket worker. Apart from 3 years in New Zealand, he was brought up in the Gallowhill district of the burgh, and educated at St Mirin's Academy, where he was a fellow pupil of singers Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan, and Stow College in Glasgow, where he studied marine engineering. After a failed attempt to launch a band with his brother Robert, a painter and decorator, he moved to New Zealand and then London.

Career

Between 1975 and 1978, Reid was the manager of British rock group Queen^[1] and Kevin Ayers.

For 28 years he was the manager of Elton John, for the first five years of which they were also in a personal relationship. Their professional relationship ended over a leaked letter from his accountants detailing John's spending, which was found by Benjamin Pell and published in the Daily Mirror.^[2] The ending of their business relationship in 1998^[3] led to a legal action in 2000.^[4]

Reid is best known as a former judge on the Australian version of The X Factor alongside Mark Holden and Kate Ceberano. He did not return for the revived second series in 2010 and was replaced by Guy Sebastian.

References