Les Reed (songwriter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Les Reed
|
|
|---|---|
| Birth name | Leslie David Reed |
| Born | 24 July 1935 Woking, Surrey, England |
| Died | 15 April 2019 (aged 83) Petersfield, Hampshire |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, arranger, musician, orchestra leader |
| Years active | 1959–2019 |
| Associated acts |
|
Leslie David Reed (born July 24, 1935 – died April 15, 2019) was a famous English songwriter and musician. He also led a light orchestra, which is a type of music group. Les Reed wrote many popular songs. He often worked with other talented writers like Gordon Mills, Barry Mason, and Geoff Stephens.
Les Reed helped create about sixty songs that became hits on music charts. He is especially known for songs like "It's Not Unusual" and "Delilah". Both of these were big hits for singer Tom Jones. Another famous song he wrote was "The Last Waltz". His songs earned many special awards called gold discs and Ivor Novello Awards. A music website called Allmusic said that in the mid-1960s, it was rare for the British music charts not to have a song by Les Reed. In 1982, he won the Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors.
Contents
Early Life and Music Journey
Les Reed was born in Woking, Surrey, England. He grew up there and showed great musical talent from a young age. By the time he was 14, he could play the piano, accordion, and vibraphone very well. He studied music at the London College of Music. After his studies, he joined a group called the Willis Reed Group and toured with them for four years.
During his National Service (a time when young people had to serve in the military), he played piano and clarinet in the Royal East Kent Military Band. In 1959, he joined The John Barry Seven, a popular music group, as their pianist.
Becoming a Hit Songwriter
In the mid-1960s, Les Reed started writing songs with Geoff Stephens. They created many successful songs together. These included "Tell Me When" for The Applejacks. They also wrote "Here It Comes Again" for The Fortunes. Another hit was "Leave A Little Love" for Lulu. In 1967, "There's a Kind of Hush" became a big success for Herman's Hermits.
In 1964, Reed co-wrote "It's Not Unusual" with Gordon Mills. This song was the very first recording for Tom Jones. It quickly became a number one hit in the UK. Les Reed also helped arrange the music for the song and played the piano on the recording.
Around this time, Reed also began working with Barry Mason. They wrote "I'll Try Not To Cry" for Kathy Kirby. This song was considered to be Britain's entry for the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest. In 1967, Reed and Mason had a hit with "Everybody Knows" by The Dave Clark Five. In 1968, they wrote "Delilah", which was another Top 10 hit for Tom Jones. "The Last Waltz" was another huge success for them. It sold over a million copies and became a UK number one hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.
In 1968, Reed and Mason wrote "I Pretend", which became a UK number one hit for Des O'Connor. That same year, "I've Got My Eyes on You" was recorded by several artists, including Petula Clark. Connie Francis later recorded "Kiss Me Goodbye" for her album. Les Reed produced this album and played the piano on it.
In 1970, Les Reed's orchestra recorded "Man of Action". This song was used as the theme tune for Radio North Sea International for several years. In 1971, "When There's No You" by Reed and Jackie Rae became a number one hit for Engelbert Humperdinck on the US easy-listening chart. In 1972, he co-wrote "Marching On Together", which became the famous anthem for Leeds United F.C., a football club.
Les Reed's songs were recorded by many famous artists. These include Elvis Presley ("Girl of Mine", "Sylvia"), Shirley Bassey ("Does Anybody Miss Me"), and Bing Crosby ("That's What Life Is All About"). He also composed music for movies such as The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and George and Mildred (1980).
He also wrote music for stage musicals. These included The Magic Show (1974) and Beautiful and Damned (2004).
Awards and Special Honours
Les Reed's songs earned him many gold discs and Ivor Novello Awards. These awards celebrate great achievements in music. In 1982, he received the Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. He was also honored as a Freeman of the City of London for his important contributions to the music industry. In 1998, Les Reed was given an OBE, which is a special award from the British government.
Chart Hits and Other Notable Songs
| Year | Song | Original artist | Co-writer(s) with Reed | U.S. Pop | UK Singles Chart | Other charting versions, and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Tell Me When" | The Applejacks | Geoff Stephens | - | 7 | |
| "Everybody Knows" | Steve Lawrence | Jimmy Duncan | 72 | - | ||
| 1965 | "It's Not Unusual" | Tom Jones | Gordon Mills | 10 | 1 | 1987: Tom Jones (reissue), #17 UK 2011: The Glee Cast, #65 US, #99 UK |
| "Leave a Little Love" | Lulu | Robin Conrad | - | 8 | ||
| "Here It Comes Again" | The Fortunes | Barry Mason | 27 | 4 | ||
| "Don't Bring Me Your Heartaches" | Paul and Barry Ryan | Robin Conrad | - | 13 | ||
| 1966 | "Have Pity on the Boy" | Paul and Barry Ryan | Barry Mason | - | 18 | |
| "To Make a Big Man Cry" | P. J. Proby | Peter Callander | - | 34 | 1966: Roy Head, #95 US | |
| 1967 | "There's a Kind of Hush" | Herman's Hermits | Geoff Stephens | 4 | 7 | 1976: The Carpenters, #12 US, #22 UK |
| "Claire" | Paul and Barry Ryan | Geoff Stephens | - | 47 | ||
| "The Last Waltz" | Engelbert Humperdinck | Barry Mason | 25 | 1 | 1967: Mireille Mathieu, "La Derniere Valse" (lyrics by Hubert Ithier), #26 UK | |
| "Everybody Knows" | The Dave Clark Five | Barry Mason | 43 | 2 | ||
| "I'm Coming Home" | Tom Jones | Barry Mason | 57 | 2 | ||
| 1968 | "Kiss Me Goodbye" | Petula Clark | Barry Mason | 15 | 50 | |
| "Delilah" | Tom Jones | Barry Mason | 15 | 2 | 1975: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, #7 UK 1992: Tom Jones (reissue), # 68 UK |
|
| "No One Can Break a Heart Like You" | The Dave Clark Five | Jackie Rae | - | 28 | ||
| "It's Your Day Today" | P. J. Proby | Barry Mason | - | 32 | ||
| "When We Were Young" | Solomon King | Barry Mason | - | 21 | ||
| "I Pretend" | Des O'Connor | Barry Mason | - | 1 | ||
| "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" | Les Vandyke | Barry Mason | - | - | 1968: Engelbert Humperdinck, #31 US, #5 UK | |
| "Please Don't Go" | Donald Peers | Jackie Rae | - | 3 | ||
| 1969 | "Tears Won't Wash Away These Heartaches" | Ken Dodd | Geoff Stephens | - | 22 | |
| "Winter World of Love" | Engelbert Humperdinck | Barry Mason | 16 | 7 | ||
| "Love Is All" | Malcolm Roberts | Barry Mason | - | 12 | 1973: Engelbert Humperdinck, #91 US, #44 UK | |
| 1970 | "Daughter of Darkness" | Tom Jones | Geoff Stephens | 13 | 5 | |
| "Baby I Won't Let You Down" | Pickettywitch | Geoff Stephens | - | 27 | ||
| 1971 | "When There's No You" | Engelbert Humperdinck | Jackie Rae | - | 45 | |
| 1972 | "Sally Sunshine" | The Mills Brothers | Geoff Stephens | - | - | 1972: Leeds United F.C., "Leeds United" (with rewritten lyrics), #10 UK |
| "Give Me One More Chance " | Donald Peers | Peter Dacre | - | 36 | ||
| "I Never Said Goodbye" | Engelbert Humperdinck | Barry Mason | 61 | - | ||
| 1973 | "24 Sycamore" | Gene Pitney | Barry Mason | - | 34 | |
| "Remember" | Des O'Connor | Barry Mason | - | 51 | ||
| 1976 | "Hello Happiness" | The Drifters | Roger Greenaway | - | 12 | |
| 1980 | "It's Only Paper That's Burning" | Rick and Bonnie Diamond | Peter Callander | - | - | |
| 1983 | "County Down" | Brendan Shine | Terry Dempsey | - | 78 | |
| "My Son" | J. J. Barrie | Malcolm Roberts | - | 96 | ||
| 2010 | "Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! (Marching On Together)" | Leeds United F.C. | Barry Mason | - | 10 |
Recordings by Les Reed's Orchestra
Les Reed also led his own music group, called The Les Reed Orchestra. They released several recordings, including:
- 1962 - "Dr. Finlay's Casebook (March From "A Little Suite")" – The Les Reed Strings (Piccadilly Records)
- 1963 - "Minuet Mash/Nightfall" – The Les Reed Piano (Piccadilly Records)
- 1964 - "Spanish Armada/Madrid" – The Les Reed Combo (Fontana Records)
- 1967 - "Imogene/The Pay Off 28" – Les Reed Orchestra (Deram Records)
- 1970 - "Man of Action/Madrid" (Chapter 1)
Personal Life
Les Reed was married to June. She passed away before him. They had one daughter together.
