Artist:Stephen Reid Stephen Reid is a honoured Vietnam vet who lives and works in the UK. His song "Names Upon The Wall" has touched America on two occasions, once to honour the lives of those who passed away on 9/11 and those that helped rebuild the pieces and to mark the 25th Anniversary of the commissioning of the Wall Of Remembrance, the memorial that inspired the song. These two occasions were the only two full outings of the song since it was written back in 1985. The song has never been released, but will be after the songs, third and final live rendition later this year. There is a spiritual element to a lot of Stephen's writings. His words often reflect the world and how it affects people's lives whether they want it to or not. He often writes about inner strength and performs with a great intensity, reminding people that words and music can make a difference. Stephen is a very modest, unassuming songwriter, who would probably be embarrassed, though without reason, to have the above paragraphs written about him. "The Song Of My Soul", like "Names Upon The Wall" has been written for a very special purpose. It's a song in which Stephen is only one side." In October Stephen Reid, returns to the US to play his last ever Stateside gig. Unfortunately due to illness, his daughter, Precia Davidson, won't be able to attend.
Song:The Song Of My Soul
I was fortunate enough to hear "The Song Of My Soul" without knowing the story the behind it. What I heard was a profound set of lyrics, with a delicate melody performed with real emotion. It was a song that made me stop and think in a way that very few songs do.
I'm fortunate to know Stephen and discover how such a beautiful and far reaching came to be written. It gave the song such a depth that it seemed almost voyeuristic to be listening to it. It's a song with such power in it's own right I wanted to write about the song, but also to allow people to enjoy the song on it's merit and take their own meaning from it, hence the convoluted way I've presented it hear.
"The Song Of My Soul" is a powerful song by anyone's standards, hopefully it will be available on a wider basis at some point.
More of Stephen's songs can be found at http://www.myspace.com/stephenreidmusic where you can find more details of his releases.
Neil King