John Reid (music manager)
{{Short description|Scottish music manager}}
{{for|the 18th century musician|John Reid (British Army officer)}}
{{Other people|John Reid}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Reid
| image = John Reid (1975).png
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|9|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
| occupation = {{hlist|Music manager|panellist|music businessman}}
| nationality = Scottish
| known = Manager of Elton John (1970–98)
Manager of Queen (1975–78)
| years_active = {{hlist|1967–1999|2005–2006}}
| partner = Elton John (1970–75)
}}
John Reid (born 9 September 1949) is a music manager, known for being the manager and former partner of singer Elton John, as well as for managing the British rock band Queen.
Life and career
Reid was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, the son of John Reid, a welder, and Betty, a shop worker. Apart from three years in New Zealand, he was brought up in the Gallowhill district of Paisley. He attended St Mirin's Academy, where he was a fellow pupil with singers Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan. After leaving school he attended Stow College in Glasgow where he studied marine engineering, but dropped out to move to London in 1969.
Reid began his music management career in 1967 at the age of 18 as a promoter for EMI. At the age of 19, he became the Tamla Motown label manager for the UK. In 1971, Reid set up his own company with a few hundred pounds in savings and a £5,000 loan.
In 1970, Reid met Elton John at a Motown Christmas party. They moved in with each other, and began a romantic relationship as well as a business one, as John became Reid's first client.{{Cite news |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/For+28+years+John+Reid+and+Elton+John+were+closer+than+husband+and...-a060566982 |title=For 28 years John Reid and Elton John were closer than husband and wife |date=13 May 1998 |work=Daily Record (Scotland)}} Their personal relationship ended after five years, but he remained John's manager until 1998. Their professional relationship ended over a leaked letter detailing John's spending, which was found by Benjamin Pell and published in the Daily Mirror.{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/hacker-stole-secrets-of-stars-from-dustbins-1150016.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/hacker-stole-secrets-of-stars-from-dustbins-1150016.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Hacker stole secrets of stars from dustbins |last=Boggan |first=Steve |date=14 March 1998 |work=The Independent}} The ending of their business relationship in 1998{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/arts-sorry-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word-1159783.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/arts-sorry-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word-1159783.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Arts: Sorry seems to be the hardest word |last=Perrone |first=Pierre |date=12 May 1998 |work=The Independent}} led to a legal action in 2000.{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1054206.stm |title=Leaked letter 'enraged' Sir Elton |date=4 December 2000 |work=BBC News}} Reid settled out of court by paying John £3.4 million.{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1374511/Ex-manager-hears-singer-talk-of-betrayal.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1374511/Ex-manager-hears-singer-talk-of-betrayal.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Ex-manager hears singer talk of 'betrayal' |last=O'Neill |first=Sean |date=17 November 2000 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}} Reid's company earned more than £73 million from representing John between 1970 and 1998.
In 1974, in New Zealand, in a widely reported incident, Reid threw champagne in the face of a party host and punched the Auckland model and journalist Judith Baragwanath in the face{{Cite book |title=Hudson & Halls : the food of love |first=Joanne|last=Drayton|year=2018 |isbn=978-1-988531-26-7 |location=Dunedin, New Zealand |oclc=1036733710}} when she came to the man's defence, sending her to the floor.{{Cite news |title=Punch and Judy |last=Baragwanath |first=Judith |date=7 September 2002 |work=The New Zealand Listener}}{{Cite news |title="La Baragwanath: The Confessions of a Café Queen". |last=du Chateau |first=Carroll |date=November 1987 |work=Metro magazine}} Later the same night, he was involved in an altercation with a second journalist at a nightclub.{{Cite book |title=Sir Elton |last=Norman, Philip, 1953- |year=2001 |publisher=Pan |isbn=0-330-37734-5 |edition=New |location=London, England |oclc=45337745}} He was convicted and sentenced to a month in prison for assault, and settled with Baragwanath for NZ $2500.Baragwanath, Judith (7 September 2002). "PUNCH AND JUDY". The New Zealand Listener. Between 1975 and 1978, Reid was the manager of British rock group Queen.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Turning-raw-talent-into-TV-stars/2005/05/13/1115843369792.html |title=Turning raw talent into TV stars |date=14 May 2005 |work=The Age}}
In 1994, he was the manager for Irish dancer Michael Flatley. After Flatley left Riverdance and ended his relationship with Reid, Flatley paid Reid approximately £1 million to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit.{{Cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/lord-of-dance-appears-to-fall-flat-on-his-ego-1.205685 |title=Lord of dance appears to fall flat on his ego |date=21 October 1998 |newspaper=The Irish Times}} Reid retired from management in 1999. In 2005 and 2006, Reid was a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor alongside Mark Holden and Kate Ceberano, then he got replaced by Ronan Keating.{{cite news | url= https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a27573083/john-reid-elton-john-manager-rocketman-facts/ |title=Elton John and John Reid's Relationship Imploded After What We See in Rocketman |date=30 May 2019 |work=Esquire}}
In 1998, Reid sold his art collection, estimated to have been worth £2 million.{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/john-reid-guru-to-elton-john-sells-art-collection-to-simplify-his-life-1188269.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/john-reid-guru-to-elton-john-sells-art-collection-to-simplify-his-life-1188269.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=John Reid, guru to Elton John, sells art collection to 'simplify his life' |last=Lister |first=David |date=30 November 1998 |work=The Independent}}
In popular culture
Reid was portrayed by Aidan Gillen in the 2018 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, and by Richard Madden in the 2019 Elton John biopic Rocketman.{{Cite news |url=https://www.thewrap.com/rocketman-film-review-elton-john-gets-a-musical-fantasy-that-sometimes-achieves-liftoff/ |title=Film Review: Elton John Gets a Musical Fantasy That Sometimes Achieves Liftoff |last=Pond |first=Steve |date=16 May 2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=17 May 2019}} Both actors are known for their previous roles in the fantasy television series, Game of Thrones.{{Cite news|url=https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a27612113/rocketman-bohemian-rhapsody-game-of-thrones/|title=A Different 'Game of Thrones' Star Plays the Same Character in Both 'Rocketman' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody'|last=Romano|first=Evan|date=28 May 2019|work=Men's Health|access-date=28 May 2019}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Queen}}
{{Elton John}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, John}}
Category:Businesspeople from Paisley, Renfrewshire
Category:People educated at St Mirin's Academy
Category:Alumni of Stow College
Category:Scottish expatriates in Australia
Category:Scottish music managers