Bob Seger paid tribute to his longtime saxophonist Alto Reed after the death of his Silver Bullet Band bandmate, who died Wednesday at age 72 after a battle with stage four colon cancer.
“Alto has been part of our musical family, on and off the stage, for almost 50 years. I started playing with Alto in 1971. He was amazing. He played anything … he was funky, he knew how to play tenor and alto sax at the same time ”, wrote Seger. “We often work with Alto and when we book our first arena shows at Cobo Hall, we invite him to be part of those shows. Undoubtedly, his iconic performance on ‘Turn the Page’ helped to take us to another level. He has been with us on that stage in almost every show since then. And whether it was “Turn the Page”, “Mainstreet” or “Old Time Rock and Roll”, audiences screamed every time he did his part. In our band, Alto was the rock star. “
Reed – then recording under his birth name Tommy Cartmell, before Seger gave the saxophonist his memorable stage name – first appeared on Seger’s 1973 album In ’72, which featured “Turn the page”; the 1976 version of the music of Live Bullet LP, featuring Reed’s distinctive intro, became a radio hit. Reed was also a founding member of the Seger Silver Bullet Band, since 1976 Night movements album.
Like Rolling Stone noticed in 2019, Seger originally recorded “Turn the Page” without a saxophone part, but just two weeks after Reed joined his group, they revisited the song in the studio. “Bob said to me, ‘I hear sax in this song,'” said Reed Rolling Stone in 2011. “I said, ‘I hear it too’. Tom Weschler, the assistant manager at the time, said to me, ‘Imagine it is late at night. It’s a black and white film, like the [1955 film noir] The man with the golden arm. A little rain falls in the alley. You are standing beside a lamppost and there is a slight mist in the distance and you hear a plaintive cry. What does that look like? ‘”
Seger added in a statement: “I loved you as a brother. I may have been the leader, but he was our rock star. He was the public’s favorite, no doubt. He was bold and worldly. I learned a lot from the guy. And he was a great ambassador for the fans. He reserved time for everyone, any image, anywhere. I can’t say enough good things about him. “
Reed’s family said in a statement: “His skill, dedication and brilliance as an artist and performer have made him a hero not just for us, but for thousands of other people, if not millions. He lived on stage and most importantly, his role for almost 50 years in the Silver Bullet Band with his musical family; Bob, Craig, Chris and so many other talented musicians who played alongside him. We are really comforted to know that his spirit will shine brightly through the music he left behind and the impression he made on so many souls on show. “
The family added: “But in addition to all this, for us, he was and always will be, Dad. Loving, supportive, sweet and wise. Working in front of the house at our elementary school recitals, equipping the lights so we could skate on the ice at night, taking us on tubes until our heads spin, cheering for the Red Wings, teaching us to ski, fish, play pool and harmonize always sharing a deep conversation, while at the same time infallibly believing in us and our dreams. Oh, and fixing everything, everywhere, always. “
Instead of flowers, the family asks for donations on behalf of Reed to the Detroit Symphony Fund of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which provides instruments for music students in Detroit.