John Reed

John Reed (aka John X. Reed, aka Johnny X) is a Texas-based guitarist closely associated with the members of the Flatlanders: Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock. Reed took up the guitar at the age of eight while living on a farm in New Mexico. He began his work with Ely, Gilmore, and Hancock while attending college in Lubbock, TX. In 1970, he moved to Austin, TX, where he worked as a guitarist, backing such musicians as Doug Sahm, Roky Erickson, Marcia Ball, Kimmie Rhodes, Alvin Crow, and Kenneth Threadgill on recordings and tours. Reed is the co-author with Gilmore of the song "Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown," which has been recorded by the Flatlanders, Ely, Gilmore, Mudhoney, and Nanci Griffith. Reed was invited to join the Lucky Tomblin Band by Tomblin after the release of the group's self-titled debut album in 2003, and he subsequently appeared on the follow-up releases In a Honky-Tonk Mood (2006), Red Hot from Blue Rock (2007), and Honky Tonk Merry Go Round (2010). ~ William Ruhlmann