British Rocker Terry Reid—Once Considered by Led Zeppelin as Their Singer—Dies at 75

British vocalist and guitarist Terry Reid—dubbed “Superlungs” for his extraordinary vocal prowess—has died at 75, his representative confirmed to The Guardian.

Reid had been battling cancer and, in July, canceled his forthcoming UK and European tour to focus on treatment. A fundraiser was established to help offset his medical bills, with fans and friends lauding his resilience and generosity.

The tour was scheduled to commence on September 11 in Wolverhampton, England, and conclude later that month in Trondheim, Norway. Blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa honored Reid on social media, calling him “one of the greatest” and praising his warm, generous spirit.

Born November 13, 1949, in Cambridgeshire, Reid began performing at a young age, founding The Redbeats at 13 and joining Peter Jay and The Jaywalkers at 15. By 1966, he supported The Rolling Stones on a UK tour alongside Ike & Tina Turner and The Yardbirds, and in 1969, returned as a solo opener for the Stones.

Aretha Franklin famously lauded Reid as one of the three pillars of the English music scene—alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. In 1968, Jimmy Page courted Reid to front a new project, but Reid declined, recommending Robert Plant and John Bonham instead. “I was intent on doing my own thing,” Reid reflected in The Guardian. “I contributed half the band—that’s plenty from me.”

Reid’s debut LP, Bang, Bang You’re Terry Reid (1968), featured “Without Expression,” penned when he was 14—a song later covered by John Mellencamp, REO Speedwagon, The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He toured with Fleetwood Mac and Cream, and forged a close friendship with Jimi Hendrix during Hendrix’s London era.

Signed to Atlantic Records in 1973, Reid released the acclaimed River, then moved to ABC Records for Seed of Memory (1976). In the 1980s he lent his talents as a session musician to Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley and Jackson Browne. His Trevor Horn–produced comeback, The Driver, arrived in 1991, and his final album, The Other Side of the River, in 2016.

Reid’s influence endured: Jack White’s The Raconteurs recorded his “Rich Kid Blues” on Consolers of the Lonely (2008), and Chris Cornell included Reid’s “To Be Treated Rite” on a 2020 posthumous compilation.

Reid played his last concert in September 2024 at London’s Half Moon and is survived by his wife, Annette.

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