Dan Reed

Dan Reed

Dan Reed is a musician from Portland, United States, born in 1963. He is associated with Dan Reed Network, Snake Oil & Harmony and Adrenaline Sky, and works in melodic rock and funk. He is one of more than one artist with this name.

Early life and musical beginnings

Reed grows up in Portland before moving in early childhood to South Dakota after his mother remarries a cattle ranch owner. He spends much of his childhood on a large ranch, and says that hearing the Doobie Brothers, Kiss, Cheap Trick and Van Halen on a tractor radio first gives him the idea of becoming a musician. At high school he plays trumpet in the school band, studies Shoto-Kan Karate and takes part in several sports. He learns guitar from Japanese exchange student Tsutomu Oki, and that leads him towards songwriting.

Dan Reed Network

After graduating from Central High School in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Reed returns to Portland. He performs in a number of local bands before founding and becoming lead singer of Dan Reed Network in December 1985. The band signs to PolyGram Records in 1987 and releases three albums between 1988 and 1992. It gains critical and commercial success and sells nearly two million records worldwide. Dan Reed Network tours widely, opening for acts including Run-DMC, UB40, David Bowie and Bon Jovi, and later supports the Rolling Stones on their 1991 European tour.

Work outside the band

During the 1990s Reed starts an independent record company in Portland to promote local Northwest bands. He also studies acting, appears in plays and small television and film roles, and receives positive reviews for his performances. He then turns to screenplay writing: Zigzag, a script he writes, is produced in 1997, with Reed playing the lead role, and reaches the Top 20 in Billboard's home video rental category.

Nightclub and later work

In 1999 Reed becomes a partner in the Portland nightclub Key Largo. He helps turn it into a hybrid venue combining live bands and DJs, and it is renamed OHM Nightclub. After attending Burning Man in 2004 and dealing with problems linked to the nightclub scene, he leaves the business. Following his father's illness and death, he goes back to India and in 2005 settles in Dharamsala. There he connects with Tibetan monks, lives in a monastery guesthouse and is drawn again to music through those experiences.

Jerusalem, Zero One Music and Coming Up for Air

After meeting musicians and artists in India, Reed decides to relocate his recording studio and life to Jerusalem in 2005. He builds a studio there and records with musicians from both Israel and Palestine, aiming to work across cultural and political divides. He creates his own label, Zero One Music, and works with Toni Medcalf and Derek Shulman on Coming Up for Air. Reed's solo acoustic performances from 2008 to 2009 take place across the US and Europe, and he later moves into full-band performances. He also takes part in Barack Obama's electoral campaign, performs at fundraising events, the Democratic Convention and the Peace Ball inaugural celebration, and serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board for the Middle East Peace Civic Forum in Washington, DC.