b. Clarence Henry Reid, 14th February 1939, Cochran, Bleckley County, Florida, U.S.A., d. 17th January 2016, Lauderdale Lakes (Miami), Florida, U.S.A.
Clarence Reid is a talented singer and songwriter as well as an accomplished musician.
He is similar to David Bowie and P-Funk's George Clinton, in having multiple musical identities.
Clarence penned melodies for the likes of Betty Wright, Sam & Dave, Gwen McCrae, Jimmy 'Bo' Horne, Bobby Byrd, and KC & the Sunshine Band.
Clarence Reid was born 14th February 1945, and recorded for TK Records president Henry Stone's, Alston label.
During the 60's, Clarence sang with the group the Del Mires, whom, at one point, had Paul Kelly as part of their line-up.
nobody but you babe - 1968 / dancin' with nobody but you babe - 1969 / running water - 1973 / on the job - 1976
His Billboard-charting singles were 'Nobody but You Babe' (number seven R & B summer 1969, on the Atlantic LP), 'Good Old Days' (early 1972), and 'Funky Party' (summer 1974).
l to r: willie clarke, betty wright, clarence reid, steve alaimo and henry stone
Clarence's frequent collaborators were songwriter Willie Clarke and producer Steve Alaimo.
He co-wrote hits for Betty Wright ('Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do,' number 15 R & B), the million-selling 'Clean Up Woman' (number two R & B for eight weeks, number six pop), 'Baby Sitter' (number six R & B), and 'Let Me Be Your Lovemaker' (number ten R & B).
For Gwen McCrae, Reid co-wrote and co-produced 'Rockin' Chair,' which reached number one R & B and number nine pop in spring 1975.
blowfly
In his other persona, he performed X-rated material under the pseudonym Blowfly.
'Blowfly Party' on the Weird World label made it to number 26 R & B in summer 1980 while 'The Twisted World of Blowfly' on Oops! charted at number 76 R & B in summer 1991.
Clarence helped Richard Finch get a job with TK Records and introduced Harry Wayne 'K.C.' Casey to junkanoo, the festive party music that would be the core sound of Casey and Finch's 70's supergroup KC and the Sunshine Band.
Clarence Reid-related releases are 'When a Man Cries - The Deep Soul of Scepter / Wand' (lists 'Somebody Will' produced by Buddy Killen) from U.K. based label Kent, 'Blowfly-Porno Freak', 'At the Movies', 'Blowfly on Tour', 'Blowfly on TV', and 'Jimmy Bo Horne-Gimme Some!'.
Clarence also wrote and produced the song 'Jazz Freak' by Paulette Reaves.
In January 2016, Blowfly drummer 'Uncle' Tom Bowker announced in a statement on the Blowfly Facebook page that Clarence was suffering from terminal liver cancer and had been admitted to a hospice facility in Florida.
He passed away in January 2016.
Albums:
Nobody But You Baby (Atlantic Records 1968)
Dancin' with Nobody But You Baby (Atlantic Records 1969)
Running Water (Alston Records 1973)
Clarence Reid on the Job (Alston Records 1976)
