Francine Reed, Atlanta’s “queen of the blues,” was born in Pembroke Township, Illinois, on July 11, 1947. In the 1990s she relocated to Georgia and soon became one of Atlanta’s most beloved performers.
Reed’s career was cemented on the foundation of a musically rich family. Her father was a gospel singer and her sister Margo Reed became a noted jazz singer. As the youngest of six siblings, Reed began performing at the age of five as a member of the family’s gospel group. In her twenties she relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, and began singing at nightclubs alongside her sister Margo.
While in Phoenix, Reed set the standard by which other local talent was judged. She often performed as the opening act for such headliners as Miles Davis, Etta James, Smokey Robinson, and the Crusaders. Widely known for her powerful voice and commanding stage presence, she sang an eclectic repertoire of jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues.
Making the acquaintance of Texas musician Lyle Lovett, who was virtually unknown at the time, in a Phoenix nightspot proved beneficial for Reed. In 1985 she began touring as a background vocalist and occasional duettist for Lovett, whose records would soon receive Grammy Awards and enjoy gold and platinum sales. Reed’s tenure with Lovett included duet appearances on many television shows, including The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Reed and Lovett performed together for forty years.
In addition to singing with Lovett, Reed performed on Willie Nelson’s acclaimed album Milk Cow Blues (2000), lending her soulful voice to the title track as well as to the song “Funny How Time Slips Away.” She has contributed vocals to other musicians’ recordings as well, including those of Delbert McClinton and Roy Orbison.
Reed demonstrated her musical prowess as a solo artist with several albums of her own after arriving in Atlanta. Her first solo album, I Want You to Love Me (1995), featured a duet with Lovett. The album peaked at number seven on Billboard’s blues chart and prompted the first of several W. C. Handy Award nominations for Reed. Reed’s second album, Can’t Make It on My Own (1996), features a duet with McClinton, and her third record, Shades of Blue (1999), met with critical acclaim.
Reed’s fame rests in large part on her trademark renditions of the classic blues song “Wild Women (Don’t Get the Blues),” which was written in 1924 by Georgia-born blues legend Ida Cox. Reed’s first album, as well as her 2001 release, I Got a Right. . .to Some of My Best, and Lovett’s Live in Texas (1999), all feature a recording of the song.
Prior to her retirement in 2019, Reed was a frequent performer at Atlanta clubs, including the venerable blues bar Blind Willie’s. In 2014 she was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
