La Reid
He is responsible for signing and helping bring Pink, Mariah Carey, Avril Lavigne,Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher, Ciara, OutKast, and Dido to multi-platinum album sales.
He is the Chairman and CEO of Island Def Jam Music Group and President and CEO of Hitco Music Publishing, based in Atlanta.
Biography
Reid is one of four children of Emma Reid, a seamstress and interior decorator. He was raised in Mount Auburn and Madisonville neighborhoods in Cincinnati, Ohio's east side.
His first drum lessons were with his uncle, Albert Baldwens.
At Hughes Center High School (Cincinnati, Ohio), Reid was a star drummer who cut his teeth playing with bands in "Merry-Go-Round," an annual talent show held in the school auditorium.
Reid's former music teacher Terry Brown (now deceased) taught him how to be a professional. Reid didn't graduate from Hughes in 1974 as he should have. There are no photos of him in the 1974 yearbook because, says Reid,
“I dropped out.
One thing led to another, and as I started to have success, I took the necessary steps to get a diploma.”
Career
Reid's first appearance on record was with Cincinnati funk rock outfit Pure Essence who released one solitary 45 in the middle 1970s as well as garnering an appearance on local FM rock radio station WEBN's second annual LP compilation, this time as Essence.
Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, both members of the 1980s R&B band The Deele, founded LaFace in 1989, and issued their product through Arista Records. In 2000, LaFace was merged into Arista Records with Reid being promoted to president and CEO of Arista Records.
He took a six week executive course at Harvard Business School in order to become CEO of Arista in 2000 when Clive Davis was passed over. Reid signed his first unknown artist to Arista, pop/rocker Avril Lavigne.
Following his stint at Arista, he was appointed as Chairman of The Island Def Jam Music Group in 2004. He is also currently Chairman/CEO of Hitco Music Publishing.
Personal
Reid flies home to Blue Ash, Ohio every year to take his mother Emma to dinner .
Reid has a son Antonio, Jr.
Reid .
Reid has a son, Chase Anthony Reid (1999),with Philadelphia ad executive Victoria Robinson .