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Artist
Dean Reed
12+ albums
countryrockabillybluegrassrockpolitical
about
Dean Cyril Reed (September 22, 1938 - June 13, 1986) was an American actor, singer and songwriter who lived much of his adult life in communist East Germany. Born and raised in Longmont (near Denver, Colorado), Reed moved to California as a young man after realizing he had some talent as a musician, and signed a record contract with Capitol Records in 1958. Capitol groomed him to be a teen idol, and he produced some modestly popular singles, including "Our Summer Romance" and "Whirly Twirly," and made guest appearances on family television programs, such as Bachelor Father. While he never achieved much success in the US, "Our Summer Romance" proved to be so popular in South America that he stayed on in Argentina following a South American tour. His fame there exceeded that of Elvis Presley, and he made numerous albums, movies and even his own television program in Buenos Aires. While living in South America, he began to see things from a left-leaning perspective and to speak up against oppression and poverty. He protested against nuclear weapons and U.S. foreign policy, and performed shows gratis in poor barrios and in prisons. His politics eventually ran afoul of official Argentine government policies. He was deported in 1966. He lived in Rome for a time, acting in such films as Adios Sabata and touring the Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, where he was immensely popular. In 1973, he settled in East Germany for good, where he continued to write, direct, and perform in
