Biography
An expressive vocalist whose approach blended rock energy with soulful depth, Dan Reed first drew notice toward the end of the 1980s fronting the Portland funk-rock ensemble Dan Reed Network. The group’s boundary-crossing aesthetic, shaped by Prince’s example and featuring a multi-ethnic roster, yielded several Mercury albums that attracted considerable attention: the 1989 Nile Rodgers-produced Slam and the 1991 follow-up The Heat. After the outfit dissolved, Reed later launched a solo path with the 2012 release Coming Up for Air and rejoined his former bandmates for the 2016 album Fight Another Day.
Portland, Oregon, was his birthplace in 1963, yet childhood unfolded on a 200-acre South Dakota farm. Classmates frequently remarked that his appearance differed from his parents’. At fourteen he learned of his adoption, discovering his birth mother was white and his birth father Filipino. Two years before that revelation he had already developed a fascination with Elvis Presley; during adolescence the affinity widened to encompass the Doobie Brothers, Van Halen, and Ted Nugent. He acquired a guitar, assembled an initial group with school peers, and by the 1980s made regular visits to Minneapolis record shops, where Prince’s androgynous persona and fusion of funk rhythms with hard-rock drive immediately captivated him. At nineteen Reed left college, relocated to Portland, and formed NoBoy alongside drummer Daniel Pred from North Dakota while also handling keyboards for the new-wave act Nimble Darts; throughout this period he maintained a notebook cataloguing musicians, promoters, DJs, and other contacts that he titled the Dan Reed Network.
In 1984 Pred and Reed enlisted guitarist Brion James and bassist Melvin Brannon, both African-American, adopting the notebook’s name at Pred’s urging and commencing performances throughout Portland. The band’s ethnically varied, stylistically hybrid sound stood out from the start, yet reached completion only with the 1987 addition of Japanese-American keyboardist Blake Sakamoto. By then support had arrived from manager and concert promoter Bill Graham as well as executive Derek Shulman, both instrumental in securing a Mercury contract. Their self-titled debut appeared in 1987 under Bruce Fairbairn’s production—known for work with Bon Jovi, Poison, and Loverboy—and included the single “Ritual,” which reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite favorable notice, the record contended with the breakthrough of stylistically comparable acts such as Living Colour, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Faith No More, compounded by inadequate label promotion.
A devoted following persisted, however, and after parting with Graham the group engaged Q Prime management, whose roster already featured Def Leppard and Metallica. The Nile Rodgers-produced Slam arrived in 1989, spotlighting the singles “Tiger in a Dress,” “Stronger Than Steel,” and “Rainbow Child,” while touring alongside Bon Jovi expanded visibility. Radio resistance remained, with programmers deeming the material too funky for rock outlets and too mainstream for R&B formats. Amid mounting pressures Reed impulsively cut his long rock-and-roll hair, a decision that unsettled management and bewildered supporters. After opening for the Rolling Stones, the band issued its third album, 1991’s The Heat. Although the record climbed to number 15 on the U.K. album charts, its polished commercial-rock tone was eclipsed domestically by the ascendant grunge wave, prompting the 1993 dissolution.
Reed’s next step involved a brief stint in Adrenalin Sky alongside former Lenny Kravitz sidemen. Acting and screenwriting attempts followed, culminating in a role in the 1997 independent thriller Zigzag. By the late 1990s he primarily managed Portland’s Key Largo nightclub—where the Network had frequently performed and in which he held partial ownership—while residing with his parents after they sold the farm and assisting his father through cancer treatment. The surrounding club environment led to crystal-meth use that progressed to crack addiction. Following his father’s death in 2003 Reed chose sobriety, divested his Key Largo shares, and embarked on extended travel. Time in Dharamsala, India, included Buddhist study at a monastery; two subsequent years in Israel were spent constructing a recording studio and resuming music-making. By 2008 residence in Paris coincided with solo performances across Europe. The debut solo album, Coming Up for Air, emerged in 2010, revealing a refined adult-alternative pop sensibility. That year also brought relocation to Prague, where he met his wife, and the birth of his son followed in 2012. Signal Fire appeared in 2013. Around the same period Reed reconnected with Network colleagues for a New Year’s Eve 2012 reunion concert in Portland. Subsequent activity has encompassed ongoing tours and further releases, among them 2016’s Fight Another Day and 2018’s Origins.
Portland, Oregon, was his birthplace in 1963, yet childhood unfolded on a 200-acre South Dakota farm. Classmates frequently remarked that his appearance differed from his parents’. At fourteen he learned of his adoption, discovering his birth mother was white and his birth father Filipino. Two years before that revelation he had already developed a fascination with Elvis Presley; during adolescence the affinity widened to encompass the Doobie Brothers, Van Halen, and Ted Nugent. He acquired a guitar, assembled an initial group with school peers, and by the 1980s made regular visits to Minneapolis record shops, where Prince’s androgynous persona and fusion of funk rhythms with hard-rock drive immediately captivated him. At nineteen Reed left college, relocated to Portland, and formed NoBoy alongside drummer Daniel Pred from North Dakota while also handling keyboards for the new-wave act Nimble Darts; throughout this period he maintained a notebook cataloguing musicians, promoters, DJs, and other contacts that he titled the Dan Reed Network.
In 1984 Pred and Reed enlisted guitarist Brion James and bassist Melvin Brannon, both African-American, adopting the notebook’s name at Pred’s urging and commencing performances throughout Portland. The band’s ethnically varied, stylistically hybrid sound stood out from the start, yet reached completion only with the 1987 addition of Japanese-American keyboardist Blake Sakamoto. By then support had arrived from manager and concert promoter Bill Graham as well as executive Derek Shulman, both instrumental in securing a Mercury contract. Their self-titled debut appeared in 1987 under Bruce Fairbairn’s production—known for work with Bon Jovi, Poison, and Loverboy—and included the single “Ritual,” which reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite favorable notice, the record contended with the breakthrough of stylistically comparable acts such as Living Colour, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Faith No More, compounded by inadequate label promotion.
A devoted following persisted, however, and after parting with Graham the group engaged Q Prime management, whose roster already featured Def Leppard and Metallica. The Nile Rodgers-produced Slam arrived in 1989, spotlighting the singles “Tiger in a Dress,” “Stronger Than Steel,” and “Rainbow Child,” while touring alongside Bon Jovi expanded visibility. Radio resistance remained, with programmers deeming the material too funky for rock outlets and too mainstream for R&B formats. Amid mounting pressures Reed impulsively cut his long rock-and-roll hair, a decision that unsettled management and bewildered supporters. After opening for the Rolling Stones, the band issued its third album, 1991’s The Heat. Although the record climbed to number 15 on the U.K. album charts, its polished commercial-rock tone was eclipsed domestically by the ascendant grunge wave, prompting the 1993 dissolution.
Reed’s next step involved a brief stint in Adrenalin Sky alongside former Lenny Kravitz sidemen. Acting and screenwriting attempts followed, culminating in a role in the 1997 independent thriller Zigzag. By the late 1990s he primarily managed Portland’s Key Largo nightclub—where the Network had frequently performed and in which he held partial ownership—while residing with his parents after they sold the farm and assisting his father through cancer treatment. The surrounding club environment led to crystal-meth use that progressed to crack addiction. Following his father’s death in 2003 Reed chose sobriety, divested his Key Largo shares, and embarked on extended travel. Time in Dharamsala, India, included Buddhist study at a monastery; two subsequent years in Israel were spent constructing a recording studio and resuming music-making. By 2008 residence in Paris coincided with solo performances across Europe. The debut solo album, Coming Up for Air, emerged in 2010, revealing a refined adult-alternative pop sensibility. That year also brought relocation to Prague, where he met his wife, and the birth of his son followed in 2012. Signal Fire appeared in 2013. Around the same period Reed reconnected with Network colleagues for a New Year’s Eve 2012 reunion concert in Portland. Subsequent activity has encompassed ongoing tours and further releases, among them 2016’s Fight Another Day and 2018’s Origins.
Albums
Liftoff
2020
Confessions Live Uk Tour
2018
Transmission
2015
Signal Fire
2013
Diggin' in Ep1: Mechanical Gain and Servo Geometry
2012
Coming Up for Air
2010
An Evening With Dan Reed
2010
Martha in Paris
2008
Singles
