SwingDJs

So I saw this link on Yehoodi to a story about Eddie Reed:

http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0, ... 32,00.html

Press Telegram wrote: Man gets 10 years for lewd acts
Local bandleader pleaded guilty to molesting relative.

By Tracy Manzer
Staff writer


LONG BEACH -- The frontman for a local swing band that played numerous shows at Long Beach venues was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to child molestation.

Mark Reed Ivey, known to most of his fans as Eddie Reed of Eddie Reed's Big Band and Eddie Reed's Swing Band, had pleaded guilty to two felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child younger than 14 earlier this year, but his sentencing was delayed to allow the victim and others a chance to address Long Beach Superior Court Judge Gary Ferrari.

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Leslie Kline declined to comment on testimony, citing privacy issues. She said that Ivey was arrested in August.

Police reports show that one of Ivey's relatives came forward in January 2003 with allegations that Ivey had abused her from the time that she was about 4 years old until she was 18, said Officer Greg Schirmer, a Long Beach Police Department spokesman.

Ivey was arrested at his home in the 3000 block of Theresa Street on Aug. 14, and booked into jail in lieu of more than $500,000 bail, where he was held throughout the trial.

Once he is released from prison, he will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Schirmer said.

With the FCC ramping up its eye on censorship, it only brought up the question for me as a DJ, would you play Eddie Reed now that you know of this information?

I'd still play him, certainly. The only thing I would even consider refraining from is buying him (and thus giving him royalties). However, the royalties go to the other bandmembers as well, I imagine (scant as they are, given the record industry). I don't think they should pay for his crimes.

Are there laws against playing criminals' music on the radio? I couldn't imagine so!

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<I>Post 10 years later<I>
Funny to see myself to enthusiastic to say I'd still play his music, and so uninformed about musical payment structures, in searching for this thread to link to when giving an example of another musician I haven't played in a decade or so because of his behavior. I'd forgotten this had been my attitude! The discussions of the SwingDJs.com community changed my mind and I have decided that although I can't bring myself to make my job harder by trying to dig up every performing artist's moral flaws to make some sort of blacklist on purpose, it is important for me to make a statement that I care about the victims of such behavior by withholding airtime from these musicians.

I haven't played Eddie Reed since this thread convinced me to quit doing so, and although Steven Mitchell is my all-time favorite modern swing singer - whose music I had JUST spent early January 2015 labeling in my system so I could find it more easily - I won't be playing his music at my gigs anymore, either.

Their music is still in my collection, and I play it for laundry, driving, etc - having no negative memories of them personally for the music to bring up. But it's simply something I don't find appropriate to play (like "Baby It's Cold Outside" or "Strange Fruit."). -2/21/15

It’s unlikely that his band members are getting royalties. Any of the Big band leaders I know that have produced CD's bought out the royalties from the band members at the recording time.
In regard to playing his material. I never really played much of it anyway. Any of the songs he does that I like, I play the original versions.
But no, if a band leader went on a killing rampage, and I loved some of his recordings, I’d still probably play them. Yes, I’ve got no soul. I’m just interested in the music.
If you start to get picky on who you play because of there back round, where would you stop? Would you not play a band, if they didn’t allow white or black musicians play? Far too much fun to have here and this is where I jump right out.
Brian

i read a very similar terrible article about a famous klezmer musician (as famous as they get, anyway) who taught me workshops at klezkamp a few years ago... i mean, i KNEW this guy! and he's been on hundreds of recordings. creeeeepy

i have a friend who refuses to like any artist who did drugs, because they "cheated". needless to say this guy isn't really my friend.

i don't have any eddie reed. can this be an artist thread for him, with a lead-in like that?

Nope.

Kalman

Yakov wrote:i read a very similar terrible article about a famous klezmer musician (as famous as they get, anyway) who taught me workshops at klezkamp a few years ago... i mean, i KNEW this guy! and he's been on hundreds of recordings. creeeeepy

i have a friend who refuses to like any artist who did drugs, because they "cheated". needless to say this guy isn't really my friend.

i don't have any eddie reed. can this be an artist thread for him, with a lead-in like that?

I am leaning it against not playing Eddie Reed. One reason is that I don't want to deal with situation of having somebody like one of his songs and asking for more info, I don't want to have to explain the whole story, too much other good songs in the book.

I have the same rational for not wearing the "Got Swing" shirt that Mo Jones sold me at a swing event in Houston several years back.

Nathan

I don't have any Eddie Reed in my collection either, but it is certainly something to think about. I tend to lean on the side of playing or listening to an artist, despite their crimes or brushes with the law.

I don't think people who like oldies music will stop listening to or appreciating music produced by Phil Spector because he's accused of murder. Michael still has fans even though he's just been indicted on his child abuse charges. As for me, I'm still going to listen to Phil or Michael because their music is bigger than the artist... it reminds me of a time or space in my life that I like to remember fondly. Whatever transgressions the artist may have committed doesn't lessen that.

But it still poses a very interesting ethical dilemma, though.

Tina

I don't support people who do harm to something they claim to love, whether that something is a dance scene or a loved one. I'm not going to expose them to dancers, especially when they can't stop exposing their damn selves.

Kalman

If you want to get rid of your copy of _Hollywood Swing_, I'll take it off your hands.

CafeSavoy wrote:If you want to get rid of your copy of _Hollywood Swing_, I'll take it off your hands.

Archival value - nyah nyah.

Kalman

I haven't played him at all for a few years. I am rather shocked at this but once the shock is over It will not likely change my impression of his talent. He is talented. I went through the same decision making process when deciding if I wanted to see "the pianist" which was made by Roman Palanski who is a US fugutive for similar crimes. I decided to go and I'm glad I did. In that case I was able to seperate the talent from the morale fiber of the person. in this case I am not sure if I can, it seems more real since I have actually had a few conversations with Eddie Reed over the years.

art must never be divorced from the context in which it was created, but in my opinion it can still be enjoyed for what it is despite the context.

I'm surprised anyone would even bring it up as an "ethical dilemma". I'd say, play it, absolutely. And I'm surprised to hear DJs say they don't have his CD or if they have it, don't play it anymore. He's made excellent hi-fi versions of some classic songs--well worth playing.

My only concern would be offending someone by playing it.

nm