Bob Seger paid tribute to his longtime saxophonist Alto Reed after the death of his Silver Bullet Band bandmate, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 72 after a battle with colon cancer in the fourth stage.
‘Alto has been part of our musical family on and off stage for almost 50 years. I first started playing with Alto in 1971. He was amazing. He could play almost anything … he was funky, could play scat and tersax and altsax at the same time, ”Seger wrote. ‘We regularly worked with Alto and when we booked our first giant performances at Cobo Hall, we asked him to be a part of the shows. His iconic performance on ‘Turn the Page’ undoubtedly helped elevate us to another level. He has been with us on almost every stage since then. And whether it was ‘Turn the Page’, ‘Mainstreet’ or ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’, the audience roared every time he played his role. In our group, Alto was the rock star. ”
Reed – which was then recorded under his birth name Tommy Cartmell, before Seger gave the saxophonist his memorable stage name – appeared for the first time on Seger’s 1973 album. Back in ’72, which contains ‘Turn the Page’; the 1976 version of the song from the Live Bullet LP, with Reed’s clear intro, became a radio hit. Reed was also a co-founder of Seger’s Silver Bullet Band, beginning in the 1976s. Night movements album.
As Rolling clip remarked in 2019, Seger originally recorded ‘Turn the Page’ without a sax section, but just two weeks after Reed joined his group, they revisited the song in the studio. “Bob told me, ‘I hear sax about this song,'” Reed said. Rolling clip in 2011. ‘I said,’ I hear it too. “Tom Weschler, the assistant manager at the time, told me, ‘Imagine it’s late at night. It is a black and white film, like the [1955 film noir] The man with the golden arm. There’s a little rain falling in the alley. You are standing by a street lamp and there is a light mist in the distance and you hear this complaining complain. How does it sound? ”
Seger said in a statement: ‘I loved him like a brother. I may have been the leader, but he was our rock star. He was the audience’s favorite, hands down. He was bold and worldly. I learned so much from the man. And he was a great ambassador for the fans. He took time for everyone, any photo, anywhere. I can not say enough good things about him. ”
Reed’s family said in a statement: ‘His ability, dedication and brilliance as an artist and performer have made him a hero, not only for us, but also for thousands of others, if not millions. He lived for the stage, and most importantly, his role for nearly 50 years in the Silver Bullet Band with his musical family; Bob, Craig, Chris, and so many other talented musicians who played with him. We are sincerely comforted in the knowledge that his spirit will shine brightly through the music he left behind, and the impression he had on so many souls in concert. ”
The family added: ‘But he has been and always will be for us, Dad. Loving, supportive, sweet and wise. We work in front of the house at our lectures at the primary school, to set up lights so we can ice skate at night, we can turn to the heads, to the Red Wings root, we learn how to ski, fish, shoot pool and harmonize, always engaging in deep conversations, believing infallibly in us and our dreams all the time. Oh, and to get everything right, everywhere, always. ‘
Instead of flowers, the family requests donations in Reed’s name to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Detroit Harmony Fund, which provides instruments to music students in Detroit.