Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A crowd pleaser...
Tom’s tribute to legend Les Reed as Delilah songwriter dies aged 83
HIS songs are sung on football terraces and by the biggest names in pop history, including Elvis.
Yet while Les Reed’s music may be instantly recognisable, the modest man behind the hits was not.
That did not stop one of music’s biggest stars lining up to pay tribute to the songwriter, who died yesterday aged 83. Sir Tom Jones, who co-wrote with Les hits Delilah and It’s Not Unusual, said: “So sorry to hear the news of the passing of my friend and colleague.
“Les was a gifted songwriter and arranger instrumental in penning many a hit, including two important songs for me... Les was a lovely man, a legend in the world of songwriting whose legacy will live through his music.”
His songs have been recorded by Elvis , Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding and Bing Crosby. British artists include Lulu, Shirley Bassey, Petula Clark and Sandie Shaw. He also played piano on the original James Bond theme.
Reed was also well-known to Leeds United fans as the co-writer of Leeds! Leeds! Leeds! – the B-side to the club’s 1972 FA Cup final single. The song became better known as Marching on Together and has been sung on the terraces ever since.
And Delilah has become the staple anthem of Stoke City and
Welsh rugby union fans have taken it to their hearts. One of his biggest hits was The Last Waltz for Engelbert Humperdinck, which spent five weeks at No1 in the charts.
Reed, who wrote more than 2,000 songs and was producer or arranger on more than 5,000 recordings, also served as a pianist in The John Barry Seven and conducted his own orchestra.
His family said in a statement: “We are all so immensely proud of everything Les achieved in his incredible lifetime. “We know his name will be remembered for what he did for music and that he will always live through his songs and compositions for the rest of time.”
Reed, of Hampshire, who was born in Woking, Surrey, once said: “Elvis was a fan. People have told me he’d often talk about the arrangements I did for Tom and Engelbert. “When I started playing with my combo, I used to emulate Floyd Kramer. I thought he was one of the greatest country pianists. Years later, Floyd became a session player with Elvis, and Elvis would tell Floyd, ‘Play it exactly like Les.’” Of Delilah, he said: “Some kind of magic happened with the singer, the song, the recording, that no one can really explain.”
Reed is survived by his daughter Donna, who he had with late wife June, and grandsons Alex and Dom.