Brenda Reid (born July 20, 1945) is an American singer, who was lead singer of the group The Exciters best known for (U.S. #4) single "Tell Him". Brenda was married to fellow band member Herb Rooney.
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The group's name was changed to the Exciters, and their first hit record, arranged by Teacho Wiltshire and produced by Leiber and Stoller for United Artists Records, was "Tell Him", which reached no. 4 on the U.S. pop chart in early 1963, and no. 12 in Canada. The song had previously been released unsuccessfully, as "Tell Her", by Gil Hamilton later known as Johnny Thunder. According to Jason Ankeny at AllMusic, the Exciters' version of "Tell Him""...boasted an intensity that signified a sea change in the presentation and perception of femininity in popular music, paving the way for such tough, sexy acts as the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes."
Dusty Springfield was on a stop-over in New York City en route to Nashville to make a country music album with the Springfields in 1962, when she heard the Exciters'"Tell Him" playing while taking a late-night walk by the Colony Record Store on Broadway. The song helped Springfield decide to embark on a solo career with a pop/soul direction. She'd recall: "The Exciters sort of got you by the throat...out of the blue comes blasting at you “I know something about love”, and that’s it. That’s what I wanna do.
Other songs by the group with Reids lead vocals included "He's Got the Power" (written by Ellie Greenwich and Tony Powers), "Get Him", and Northern Soul classic "Blowing Up My Mind". The Exciters also recorded "Do-Wah-Diddy", written by Greenwich and Jeff Barry, in 1963; with a revised title of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" it was covered shortly after by Manfred Mann, for whom it was an international hit. They were one of the opening acts for the Beatles during their first North American tour in August–September 1964. During this tour, they became the first black musicians to perform at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida; the stadium's management had initially refused to allow the Exciters to perform because of their race, but when the Beatles said they would refuse to perform too, the group was allowed to go on.
In 1965, the Exciters left the Leiber-Stoller management team, and the United Artists label, for Roulette Records. There they issued a remake (with revised lyrics) of the Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' song "I Want You to Be My Boy". They continued to record through the 1960s for Bert Berns' labels Bang and Shout, and later for RCA, but with little success. Ronnie Pace and Skip McPhee replaced Johnson and Walker. The group broke up in 1974. By the early seventies Walker and Johnson had left and were replaced by Skip McPhee and Ronnie Pace. The group continued to tour the US and abroad, eventually breaking up in 1974. Carole Johnson worked as an account clerk for G&G Retail in New York. Lillian Walker established a career as a Guidance Counselor in the New York City school system.
In 1975, Brenda and Herb Rooney, credited as the Exciters, enjoyed a hit single in the UK with "Reaching for the Best", produced by Rooney and young newcomer producer Ian Levine. The song was aimed at the British Northern soul scene but crossed over to the UK Singles Chart where it peaked at No. 31. In 1978, Reid formed a group with her husband Herb Rooney called Brenda And Herb, had a final R&B chart hit in 1978 with "Tonight I'm Gonna Make You A Star" and released one album in 1979, "In Heat Again".
The pair later separated with Herb owning a cosmetics company on Long Island, but Reid kept the New Exciters going with her children Mark, Tracy & Jeff on backup vocals and instruments. One son, Mark, became a famous songwriter and producer for acts like Lisa Lisa, Eric B, and Rakim, under the name L.A. Reid. By the mid-eighties the Rooneys had separated. In the early 90s Brenda retired to devote her life to her church although Reid and Lillian Walker still occasionally performed together as The Exciters. Carole Johnson died on May 7, 2007, aged 62. Lillian Walker-Moss died on February 5, 2023, at the age of 78. She had been battling angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer.
(Edited from Wikipedia,History of Rock & Soul Tracks)