Kevin's first paid gig was at the age of 13. He and his brother, Craig, formed many bands over the years. In the early 1990's they joined 10^th Avenue, billed "rock with horns" since the rock-and-roll band enjoyed a mean horn section. Later, Craig & Kevin joined some friends and enjoyed success for a couple of years as a four piece local band, Dixie Wrecked.

The Kevin Reed Band is a band that almost did not exist. Kevin's dreams were crushed by a tree felled by a co-worker during spring break 1994. After being lifeflighted to a level-one trauma center, world-renowned neurosurgeon, Robert J. White, MD, Ph.D. abruptly terminated surgery to announce to the family that they would be spending their last night with Kevin. Kevin's injuries were far too critical.

True to form, Kevin did things his own way…and surgery was continued a few days later. But a 75-day coma ensued, fraught with various life-threatening medical complications. And when he finally awakened from the edge of death, he could not talk, was paralyzed on the right side, was partially blind and deaf, could not read or write, could not swallow or breath or think properly, and could not even remember what his name was.

Now, after more than 2500 therapy sessions, he has relearned to talk, read and walk again. Drumming, however, was never lost. Music, in fact, forged the mettle of Kevin's incredible recovery.

Kevin wrote Odyssey, a percussion ensemble rock suite premiered by the talented students of the College of Wooster during the Percussion Ensemble's Fall Concert November 12, 2000. It is a musical expression of brain injury, coma, rehabilitation and celebration of life. Craig composed the piano score with such emotional honesty as only a brother could. Tom Fries directed Odyssey, and the Kevin Reed Band joined in the celebration of life. The Odyssey was professionally recorded, was released in 2002 and is sold in our Store .

Kevin also engineers unique drum kit setups, repairs percussive instruments, and has designed a unique drum, the Trash Kat™ (patent pending), that he plays on gigs and is manufacturing and selling.  (See www.ThunderEchoDrums.com)  He has a solid foundation in his percussion education, having studied under Tom Fries at the Koch School branch of the Cleveland Music School Settlement for five years and during his physical rehabilitation, has completed percussion theory coursework and teaching technique at Wooster College. Kevin also is a longstanding member of the Percussive Arts Society and belongs to the Cleveland Federation of Musicians - Local 4 of the American Federation of Musicians.

Kevin freelances as auxiliary percussionist in a Christian rock project, and teaches drumming at his home.

He may be perceived as being disabled, but not when he is behind a drum kit.

Kevin and the Kevin Reed Band celebrate all that's good about rock-n-roll .