DJ Ryan Swift

My good friend and DJ inspiration Mike Thibault adds to the growing pool of original content on Yehoodi with this great piece on the late, great drummer, George Reed. He mentions discovering the great band that we both used to see starting out dancing at the same time in Rochester in the late 90’s.

As a green and eager young Lindy Hopper way back in 1998, I would do just about anything to get to a dance. Those were the magical days when nothing mattered in life beyond my next swingout. Naturally it made perfect sense to drive seven hours round-trip for a three-hour-long dance in Albany. I would get to dance to an actual live band! This was a big deal.

The band we heard when we arrived quickly became, and remains, one of my all-time favorite modern bands: Joe Salzano and the Blue Devils. The band swung hard; they had a grit to them that was palpable. Above all, it was hard to miss the presence of the man behind the drums, George Reed.

I still love that band and miss George Reed’s unforgettable drumming, singing, and personality.

It’s a great read, head on over and check it out.