Lucy Reed (January 14, 1921 – July 1, 1998), born Lucille Magdalyn Dollinger, was an American jazz and blues singer, active on the Chicago jazz scene in the 1950s.

Early life

Reed was born in

Marshfield, Wisconsin Marshfield is a city in Wood County, Wisconsin, Wood and Marathon County, Wisconsin, Marathon counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,929 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census; of this, 18,119 were in Wood County a ...

, the daughter of Max Dollinger and Elizabeth Shields Dollinger (later Jetty). Her father was a machine operator, born in Germany. Her parents divorced in 1934, and both remarried. While she was a teenager attending Humboldt High School in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, she sang on KSTP radio with a group of four girls, earning $5 per week.

Career

Reed sang with the Jerry Salone Orchestra in Michigan as a young woman. She met her first husband, jazz drummer Joey DeRidder while living in

Iron Mountain, Michigan Iron Mountain is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Michigan. The population was 7,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 7,624 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Located in the state's Upper Penin ...

, and she performed with his musical group, the Joey DeRidder Orchestra. In 1955, she performed with

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

in New York City, in Miami in 1956, and with

Dick Marx Richard Henry Marx (April 12, 1924 – August 12, 1997) was an American jazz pianist and arranger. He also composed for film, television, and commercials. Personal life Marx and wife Ruth (née Guildoo) had a son, Richard Marx, pop singer, s ...

and

Johnny Frigo Johnny Frigo (December 27, 1916 – July 4, 2007) was an American jazz violinist, bassist and songwriter. He appeared in the 1940s as a violinist before working as a bassist. He returned to the violin in the 1980s and enjoyed a comeback, recordin ...

in 1957. A 1956 reviewer in ''

Down Beat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' described Reed as "a singer who may possess too much innate feeling for lyrics, and honesty in delivery, ever to have a hit record, but who should be able to cultivate a flock of enthusiastic listeners."

Personal life

Reed married Joseph Alphonse DeRidder in June, 1941 and had a son, Jeffrey, born in 1942. DeRidder was killed in action while co-piloting a B-17 over

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

on July 31, 1944. She married her second husband, Serge Seymour, in 1957; they had two sons, Steven and Ted. She died in 1998, at the age of 77 in Chicago. Chicago jazz musicians including

Audrey Morris Audrey Morris (November 12, 1928 – April 1, 2018) was an American singer and pianist who specialized in jazz ballads. Early life Morris was born on November 12, 1928, in Chicago. Morris grew up on the South Side of Chicago and had classic ...

and Frank D'Rone came to her deathbed, to sing in her last hours.

Discography

* ''The Singing Reed'' (

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

, 1957) * ''This Is Lucy Reed'' (Fantasy, 1957) * ''Basic Reeding'' (

Audiophile An audiophile (from + ) is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. The audiophile seeks to achieve high sound quality in the audio reproduction of recorded music, typically in a quiet listening space in a room with ...

, 1994)

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Lucy 1921 births 1998 deaths American jazz singers American women jazz singers People from Marshfield, Wisconsin Singers from Wisconsin 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers