Bert Reid, R.I.P.

[John Parker]

I just received this from Brian Chin:

December 15, 2004

To everyone I know, and please pass along these details:

I'm very sad to let my friends in music know that Bert Reid passed away Sunday, December 12 of lung cancer.

Bert was, of course, a key figure to our musical history since the very beginning of disco, when he was blowing us down with his sax in the horn section of Crown Heights Affair. Pull out your copy of "Dreamin' a Dream" and play both versions and you'll see there's more music in those two cuts than in the entirety of today's top 50. And I mean the pop top 50.

He became even more central to the evolution of music in the post-disco period, by the fusion of dance electronics with hardcore R&B elements, in progressive, atmospheric and wonderfully tuneful records like "I'll Do Anything for You" by Denroy Morgan, "Do It to the Music" by Raw Silk, and "I Hear Music in the Streets" and "Searching to Find the One" by Unlimited Touch, to name just a couple. His example of combining strong songwriting mechanics with the eclectic, enthusiastic fusion of the old and the new remains obvious in the later records of everyone from Madonna, Full Force, Teddy Riley and Robert Clivilles/David Cole all the way up to the crunkmasters of today who are using the same early-80s keyboard sounds.

Bert's viewing (5PM to 7PM) and funeral (7 PM) are tomorrow (Thursday December 16) at the Christian Cultural Center, 12020 Flatlands Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11207, phone: (718) 306-1000. Directions at this link: http://www.cccinfo.org/ccc_info.asp?ID=38.

In remembrance, with love, respect and gratitude,
Brian Chin

[Bernie]

Truly sad news. Don't mean to be grim or disrespectful, but this makes the mission of the Dance Music Hall of Fame even more important to honor and acknowledge all those involved in Disco dance before they pass.

I've added Bert Reids to the "In Memory" section of the site where everyone can post their comments...
http://www.discomusic.com/people-more/3552_0_11_0_M/

I'll have to go through my vinyl to see if I can scan a picture of him.

[DISCODISK]

this is really sad indeed,i spent some time with bert and the rest of the guys one day when they played the ritz manchester at an all day event in the mid 70s and they were the act,they wernt on until the evening i didnt even know they had arrived i was talking with friends and bert and the boys just came over,he told me he really loved my shoes!we got talking and he asked me what was my favourite CHA track and i replied 'streaking' [r.c.a] he was rally amazed then i said i really love 'sex trip' from the album he was blown away and so happy saying how do you know that song? wow! its my favourite too,and went on to explain how proud he was of those tracks and really didnt think anyone knew them.we had some laughs and jokes and he went on about how he wanted my shoes and suggesting they might take them from me,i must have had something flashing through my head like 'i think they mean it'! and they saw my face and were all pointing and going wahhhhh! great great people in amongst the fans no minders, no management and i think they enjoyed themselves more than we did if thats possible,they really went out of their way to say how they loved the club,the records and the people,they gave me a copy of dancin and all signed the sleeve and i still treasure that today along with the memories of that day. JOHN PARKER so true what you say about dreamin a dream ive never known which i prefer though the vocal has been getting more attention in my house over the last couple of years and just perfect for soul clubs today, an awesome record.im so sad now i never gave bert my shoes, cos he gave me much more R.I.P BERT REID YOU WILL BE SADLY MISSED

for anyone whoe dosnt know those r.c.a tracks try to hear them though they are quite rare, the album was re-issued in 75 but even they are hard to find,but if you do hear them you'll see the CHA was not A DE-LITE sound,these guys had it going on all along

[John Parker]

I cannot take the credit. It was Brian Chins letter that I just posted on the board.

jp

[paul]

Glad to see the site back up. Sadly, this was the first thing I read. Oh, well. I left my comments in the obit.