Alto Reed

Native Detroiter Alto Reed made his name as the longtime saxophonist in Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band, joining the outfit in 1972 and lending his signature soloing to Seger classics like "Turn the Page," "Horizontal Bop," and "Main Street." In addition to his work with Seger, Reed appeared on songs by a variety of acts from fellow Michiganders Grand Funk Railroad to artists like Robin Gibb, Foghat, and Little Feat. Later in his career, he released a pair of crossover jazz-rock solo albums and scored the soundtrack to the Jeff Daniels film, Escanaba in Da Moonlight. Born Thomas Neal Cartmell, Reed grew up playing guitar, singing in choir, and later taking up his main instrument, the saxophone. After graduating from music college in California, he hooked up with fellow Detroiter Bob Seger to form the Silver Bullet Band in 1972. Throughout the '70s and '80s, Reed's rock saxophone solos were a hallmark of the band's sound and adorned major hits like "Turn the Page" and "Main Street." Although his primary allegiance was to the Silver Bullet Band, he peppered his résumé with occasional session gigs and production jobs. During the late '90s, Reed started a solo career to complement his work with the Silver Bullet Band, electing to explore contemporary crossover jazz instead of hard-driving rock & roll. Reed's solo debut, Cool Breeze, was released in late 1997, adding touches of pop, rock, and R&B to melodic jazz. In 1999, he was selected to score the film version of Jeff Daniels' Escanaba in Da Moonlight. In 2019, Reed joined Seger for what the Detroit rock icon announced would be his final concert tour. It also proved to be one of Reed's final projects; he died on December 30, 2020, at the age of 72 after contracting colon cancer.
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