His early mentors included the Count Basie musicians Jo Jones and Freddie Green.
[1] In the course of his career, he played with Charlie Parker, Red Allen, Marian McPartland, Joe Venuti, Buddy Tate and Bertha Hope.
In 1970, he toured Europe in the all-star formation Saints & Sinners with Vic Dickenson and Red Richards.
In his later years, Reed performed as a percussionist and singer with the swing and dance band Lindy Hop Heaven.
Reed, who was active as a musician until 2010, died in October 2011 at the age of 89 at the Chemung County Nursing Facility in Elmira.