Dean Cyril Reed (September 22, 1938 -- June 13, 1986) was an American actor, singer and songwriter who lived a great part of his adult life in South America and then in communist East Germany.
Dean Reed was born in Denver, Colorado, and moved with his family many times, living in various cities in California and Utah, and later returning to Colorado. He graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in 1956, where he was a star athlete on the track team. After a couple of years at the University of Colorado, Reed moved to California after realizing he had some talent as a musician, and recorded "Once Again" for Imperial Records as a one-off single to see if reaction to it would justify a full contract. No contract was offered by Imperial, but Reed subsequently signed a long-term recording contract with Capitol Records in 1958. Capitol groomed him to be a teen idol and he produced some modestly popular singles, including Annabelle, The Search, No Wonder, A Pair of Scissors, I Kissed a Queen, and Our Summer Romance. He also made guest appearances on family television programs such as Bachelor Father.
In 1973, Reed chose to settle permanently in East Germany, where he continued to write, direct, and perform in films. Over the years he played in 20 films, produced 13 records, and gave concerts in 32 countries.
While committed to the politics of his adopted socialist home, he did not join the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED) and preferred to define himself as a Marxist rather than a communist. Despite his opposition to many US policies, he professed his love of America until the end of his life, and his songs often reflected his fondness for his homeland. He never renounced his US citizenship and continued to file tax returns for the IRS.
However, in a 1986 television interview on CBS's 60 Minutes, he defended the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the building of the Berlin Wall (saying it was for "self defense"), and compared Ronald Reagan to Stalin, which angered many in the U.S., including family and friends. Following the interview, Reed received hate mail from the U.S. accusing him of being a traitor.
Death
Six weeks after his appearance on 60 Minutes Reed was found dead in Zeuthener Lake near his home in East Berlin. Though it was officially ruled an accidental drowning, his friends in Germany suspected that his death was a suicide and his family in the U.S. claimed that he had been murdered.
For the biography, Rock 'n' Roll Radical: The Life & Mysterious Death of Dean Reed, author Chuck Laszewski gained access to Reed's Stasi file, which contained a suicide note and an apparent apology written on the back of a movie script to the East German leader, SED General Secretary Erich Honecker. This was covered up by the GDR authorities, who feared that the discovery of his suicide would disparage their state.
In 2004, the Russian Federation "Rossiya" television channel aired a documentary on Dean Reed, "Кто Вы, Мистер Рид?" ("Who Are You, Mister Reed?"), speculating on the possibilities of Reed having been a CIA, KGB or Stasi agent, but failing to present any concrete evidence to support any such theories.It is known, however, that he did work for the international department of the East German intelligence service (Stasi) during the period 1976--1978.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_shall_overcome
The phrase "I'll Overcome Someday" first appears in print in the published lyrics to a 1901 hymn or gospel music composition by Charles Albert Tindley of Philadelphia. Tindley was an African Methodist Episcopal Church minister who composed many hymns and lyrics, some 50 of which are known to have survived. Over time, others added newer lyrics from the common store of stock phases used in spirituals, including the phrase, "Deep in my heart." Various versions of the spiritual were sung in black churches in the 1800s and at integrated meetings of black and white coal miners in the early 1900s.
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we shall overcomeby TNmusicselection15,238 views
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