Dizzy Reed

Dizzy Reed
Reed performing in 2006 with Guns N' Roses
Background information
Birth name	Darren Arthur Reed
Also known as	Dizzy
Born	(1963-06-18) June 18, 1963 (age 53) Hinsdale, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock, heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, keyboardist, pianist, percussionist
Instruments	Keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Vibraphone, Percussion, Vocals
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Geffen
Associated acts	Guns N' Roses, Johnny Crash, The Dead Daisies
Website	www.gunsnroses.com

Darren Arthur Reed (born June 18, 1963), better known by his stage name Dizzy Reed, is an American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the keyboardist for the rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured, and recorded since 1990.

Aside from lead singer Axl Rose, Reed was the longest-standing and only member of Guns N' Roses to remain from the band's Use Your Illusion era, until early 2016 when guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan returned to the band. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Guns N' Roses, although he did not attend the ceremony. He was also a member of the Australian-American supergroup The Dead Daisies with his Guns N' Roses bandmate Richard Fortus, ex-Whitesnake member Marco Mendoza, ex-Mötley Crüe frontman John Corabi and session drummer Brian Tichy.

Reed was born as Darren Arthur Reed on June 18, 1963 in Hinsdale, Illinois, and was raised in Colorado. Reed was described as reclusive and introverted, however he has since denied this. His grandmother began teaching him to play the organ when he was a young child, and before he was out of elementary school, he formed small local bands.

As an adult, Reed pursued a music career in Los Angeles. He was a founding member of the club band The Wild in the late 1980s, with whom he spent five years.

Reed met the classic lineup of Guns N' Roses in 1985 while his band, The Wild, rehearsed in a neighboring studio. He kept in touch, and in 1990 was invited by friend Axl Rose to join the group for the recording of the two Use Your Illusion albums.

Reed soon became an accepted member of the group and his work was heard on the majority of tracks on both albums. As a member of Guns N' Roses, Reed has become well known for his keyboard, piano, and backing vocal work during live performances, music videos and on such songs as "Estranged", "Live and Let Die", "Bad Obsession" "November Rain", "Garden of Eden", "Don't Damn Me", "Bad Apples", "Civil War", "14 Years", "Yesterdays", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", "Get in the Ring", "Pretty Tied Up" and "Locomotive", as well his contributions to some of the band's newer tracks, including "Chinese Democracy", "Shacklers Revenge", "Better", "Street of Dreams" "If the World", "There Was a Time", "Catcher in the Rye", "Scraped", "Riad N' the Bedouins", "I.R.S" and "Prostitute." When not playing keyboards or piano, Reed frequently provides backup on percussion and vocals during live Guns N' Roses performances. He is also known for playing percussions during live performances of songs such as "Mr Brownstone","Nightrain", "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Rocket Queen".