Vivian Reed

Vivian Reed (born June 6, 1945) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was trained as a classical vocalist at the Juilliard School and originally planned on pursuing a career as an opera singer. Her path was reoriented into a career in popular music after she began performing at Pauline's Interlude Cafe in Harlem while a college student. Under the guidance of Honi Coles and Bobby Schiffman, the latter the owner of the Apollo Theatre, she became an R & B and Soul music performer under contract with Epic Records from 1968 to 1971. She performed frequently at the Apollo from 1966 into the mid-1970s. She also recorded two albums with United Artists Records in the 1970s. In 1972 Reed made her theatrical stage debut in the short lived Broadway revue That's Entertainment. She returned to Broadway soon after in Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope; replacing Micki Grant for six weeks in the original New York production. She would later appear in numerous productions of this show both in the United States and abroad in stagings spanning a twenty-five year period. In 1975 she originated the roles of Marsha and Young Irene in the musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, the work with which she is mostly closely identified. She was nominated for a Tony Award for this role, and won numerous accolades, including a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. In addition to appearing in the Broadway production of Bubbling Brown Sugar, she also appeared in both national and two European tours of the musical. In 1980 Reed made her film debut in Headin' for Broadway. In the 1980s she worked and lived mainly in Europe and maintained an apartment in Paris. She formed a partnership with French theatre impresario and fashion designer Pierre Cardin, and recorded albums on the French record label Carrere Records. She also starred in several French language films, including portraying Josephine Baker in La Rumba (1987). In 1989 she returned to the United States where she was initially active in theaters in Florida. In 1992 she returned to Broadway as the Enchantress in The High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club; garnering a second Tony Award nomination for her performance. In 1994 she portrayed Queenie in the Toronto cast of Hal Prince's celebrated revival of Show Boat. In 1999 she portrayed the mother of Audra McDonald's character in the Broadway production of Marie Christine. Reed has remained active in Off-Broadway and Regional theatre productions. She has also worked frequently as a night club and cabaret singer throughout her career, and has also performed at jazz festivals and with orchestras and other ensembles as a concert artist. Having previously taught singing at the Berklee College of Music, she currently works on the voice faculty at Marymount Manhattan College. She was awarded the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets. The daughter of Clyde and Lucille Reed, Vivian Reed was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 6, 1945. She grew up in the Reed family home on Wandless Street in the Hill District, and had two siblings, Clyde Jr. and Arcelia. Her earliest music experiences were singing gospel music in the Baptist church as a child. She began studying singing at the age of eight with Romaine Russell at the Pittsburgh Musical Institute, and gave her first voice recital at the age of 13. After graduating from Schenley High School, she attended the Juilliard School on a three-year scholarship with the intent of becoming an operatic soprano like Leontyne Price. She graduated from Juilliard in 1968 with a degree in vocal performance. While a student at Juilliard in the mid-1960s Reed worked as a singing waitress at Pauline's Interlude Cafe in Harlem where she attracted the attention of the music critic of the New York Amsterdam News who stated she had a "musky mezzo-soprano voice and a most beguiling way with a song like "Summertime" or "Who Can I Turn To?". After completing her studies at Juilliard she pursued further training as a dancer. Her dance teachers included George Faison, Phil Black, and Ronald Dunham. In her early career Reed worked frequently as a singer at supper clubs and resorts. She also performed at night clubs such as Basin Street South in Boston and the Fallen Angel in the Virgin Islands. On October 14, 1966 she made her debut at the Apollo Theater in a concert of Blues music. Others artists in this concert, which ran for a week of performances, included B. B. King and his band, Bobby Bland, Odetta, T-Bone Walker, Jimmy Witherspoon, and comedian Scoey Mitchell who served as the master of ceremonies. She became a recurring performer at the Apollo Theater where she honed her craft as a professional under the mentorship of Honi Coles and Bobby Schiffman. In December 1966 she was at the Apollo in concerts with Clyde McPhatter, Ruth Brown, George "Harmonica" Smith, and Ruby & the Romantics. She returned to the Apollo in 1967 in shows with Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and Harold Cromer among other well known Blues musicians. Reed was on the bill at the Apollo when Bill Cosby was the MC at the theatre in 1968; singing the song "Yours Until Tomorrow" by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Reed recorded this song that same year for Epic Records; a single which sold more than 150,000 copies. The National Association of Television and Radio Announcers awarded her "The Most Promising Female Vocalist of 1968" prize at its national convention. Between 1968 and 1971 Reed recorded a total 20 songs for Epic Records; which encompassed one album, Vivan Reed (1968), and eight singles. These were re-released as a compilation set, Vivian Reed, Yours Until Tomorrow: The Epic Years, by Cherry Red Records in 2016. She sang another one of her singles, an R&B version of "Somewhere" from West Side Story, in concerts at the Apollo Theatre in February 1969. Other artists she shared billing with in shows at the Apollo in 1969 included Leslie Uggams, Ruby Dee, Richard Pryor, Ossie Davis, Frankie Crocker, and Jerry Butler. In 1968 Reed was a recurring guest on the television program The Peter Martin Show. She subsequently appeared on The John Reed King Show and as a recurring guest on The Merv Griffin Show in 1968–1969. In 1969-1970 she gave a tour of concerts held at universities across the United States. In December 1969 she replaced an ailing Dionne Warwick for performances at the Apollo Theatre. In 1970-1971 she was a recurring guest on the variety television program Soul!; sharing billing with Muhammad Ali, Leon Thomas, and Archie Bell & the Drells among other guests. She also appeared as guest on The David Frost Show in 1970. In April 1970 she appeared in concert with Stevie Wonder at Kleinhans Music Hall. At the Apollo Theatre in 1970 she performed in shows with Little Anthony and the Imperials, Edwin Starr, Ronnie Dyson, Jimmie Walker, The Voices of East Harlem, and Lou Rawls. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 1971, just three years after King's assassination, Reed performed at a special event honoring King at the 369th Regiment Armory which was hosted by Hal Jackson and also included a performances by Ossie Davis and several church choirs. In February 1971 she returned to the Apollo to perform in a benefit concert for Shaw University. In March 1971 she was interviewed on the WNBC television program Positively Black. Following this she toured Europe with Joe Frazier and the Knockouts. From 1971 to 1977 she was a recurring guest on The Mike Douglas Show; first being booked on the program after baseball player Jackie Robinson recommended her to Moore. Moore stated in an interview that Reed "sounded like Aretha Franklin and Melba Moore". Among the guests she shared billing with on Douglas's program were John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Douglas had the couple serve as Reed's interviewers when they co-hosted the show with him for a week in 1972. This interview was later featured in Erik