At 75, Francine Reed Retires From the Road Amid the Lasting Refrain of ’12th of June’
The past two years spent at home resulted in many of us reassessing our lives, careers and relationships. For former Atlanta singer Francine Reed, the pandemic gave her time to wrestle with a decision to retire from touring as a beloved featured member of Lyle Lovett’s Large Band. In July, on the occasion of her 75th birthday, Reed’s gift to herself was to officially give up her 33-year summer job with the act.
But thanks to the generosity of her longtime employer, Reed is retiring from the road on a grateful, grace-filled note. In addition to performing with the Large Band for four sold-out nights at City Winery in New York City in May, the singer is featured on a trio of duets on Lovett’s new album “12th of June.” Perhaps knowing that Reed’s tenure was likely drawing to a close, Lovett made sure to commemorate their longtime live duets of the standards “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You,” along with cutting a brand new rendition of “Peel Me a Grape,” a tune first popularized by jazz singer Anita O’Day, for the project. Family, both personal and professional forms the musical nucleus of “12th of June,” an album dedicated to Lovett’s wife April and their now kindergarten-aged twins, Will and Ella. The album’s title is the twins’ birthdate.
For longtime Lovett and Reed fans, the three duets sequenced together on the first side of the album, serve as an emotional parting gift to everyone who has consistently packed into amphitheaters each summer over the last three decades to see the Large Band live.
But never fear, Francine fans, the singer, now based in Phoenix, is still performing when the mood — or the right offer introduces itself. And thanks to Phoenix musician friends, pianist Nicole Pesce and singer Renee Grant Patrick, Reed learned to live stream shows during COVID lockdown. There are also discussions afoot at Fervor, the record label where Reed is signed, about issuing some new in-the-can studio recordings next year. Before hopping on a plane to visit her family in Atlanta this week, Reed rang up to discuss her contributions to “12th of June,” the hard decision to retire from touring and her lingering love of all things Lyle Lovett.
Q: When did you tell Lyle you were retiring?
A: Probably at the beginning of the year when they decided to do this summer’s tour. I knew I was done. My mind was totally made up by the time 2022 hit. When we went into the studio in Houston in September 2021, I knew then that I would probably not be going back out on the road. Those last few tours before the pandemic, each one got a little tougher, due to health reasons of mine. But also, let’s face it, I’ve been doing this now for a really long time, since the late ‘80’s and with a whole lot of men, too! (laughs). Not many women can say that! I was thinking about retiring from the road before the pandemic hit. I knew what my body was telling me. I finally decided to listen.
Q: When the video was released for “Pants is Overrated,” this spring, it had all the quirkiness of a Lyle Lovett single, complete with a nursery rhyme. It was the perfect song for everyone who had just spent two years on our couches. But while us fans were scratching our heads, you knew exactly who inspired the song, right?
A: Correct. Those beautiful twins. This whole album is a reflection of Lyle finally becoming a father and those wonderful children. We were so very happy for them. We had been singing some of these songs live for three or four tours before the pandemic. The band had been using [the album’s opening instrumental track] the Horace Silver tune “Cookin’ at the Continental” during the live shows for a while.
Q: Lyle sequenced side one of “12th of June” as a showcase for your duets together. You’re singing back up on “Pants is Overrated” and then there’s the three duets —“Straighten Up and Fly Right,” “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You” and “Peel Me a Grape.” When you heard the album for the first time, was that a surprise?
A: I had no idea! We had been doing these tunes in the show so we recorded them. I’m just a member of the band. Lyle and the record company folks make all of those decisions. It was a complete surprise.
Q: Can you give us the back stories on “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You”?
A: Sometimes, we would just get together at soundcheck and run one of those old standards. With ‘Straighten Up,’ one night, Lyle just said, ‘I’d like you to perform this one with me.’ Now, Lyle had recorded a solo version of the tune earlier [for the soundtrack to the 1996 comedy “Dear God”]. We worked it out and I guess it sounded good because it went in the show. Now, “Gee, Baby,” I had heard it once or twice. That’s become my favorite. It’s in Lyle’s key and I somehow found my own starting note. The first time I tried it, everyone just looked at me! (laughs). But I guess it worked. I love singing that song. Plus, we got to dance together on that one. I miss that. We actually danced together on the stage. He walks over to me, puts his arms around me and we would dance. The first time he did it, I was just thrilled. One night, I just gave him a look that said, “Come here.” And he did. The look on my face each night was “Eat your hearts out, girls. I’m dancing with Lyle Lovett up here!” That was a real highlight for me.
Q: “Peel Me a Grape” could have been written for Francine Reed with lyrics like “You’ve got to wine and dine me/Don’t try to fool me, bejewel me/Just entertain me, champagne me,” right?
A: What are you saying, Eldredge? (laughs and sings) “I’m getting hungry. Peel me a grape!” I love the song and Lyle does too. We had just started working on it before the pandemic hit. There were a couple of times in the studio when I put a little bit too much of that Francine attitude in there and Lyle had to pull me back, too! (laughs). I’m so glad it’s on the album.
The first time Lyle opened his mouth and sang in front of me, I just thought he was extremely soulful. I knew he was going to be big.
Francine Reed
Q: Thanks to Lyle’s new record deal with Verve Records, you are now officially one degree away from Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. You realize that, right?
A: [laughs) You are so sweet. That just popped out of Lyle one night during soundcheck or something. He told us he had signed a new contract with Verve. Seeing that logo on “12th of June” and having owned so many of their records over the years, it’s pretty wonderful.
Q: You’ve been singing duets with Lyle Lovett for over 30 years now. What is it about the combination of his voice and your voice that works so well?
A: The first time Lyle opened his mouth and sang in front of me, I just thought he was extremely soulful. I knew he was going to be big, even that day in 1986 in that Scottsdale, Arizona studio. I just wasn’t sure it was him singing. That day, he was just in my cans [headphones] in the studio. I had never believed much in the recording business. I thought a lot of voices got created with studio knobs and this was the era of Milli Vanilli, after all. I was looking at him through the glass, thinking, “That ain’t this guy singing. They’ve got some sure-enough knobs going.” It wasn’t until we got to soundcheck the first time we did “Austin City Limits” and he was standing next to me that I believed it. I turned to him and said, “That really is you singing!”
Q: You performed a live streaming show earlier this year at the Tempe History Museum and you referenced Mr. Lucky’s, a club there. I had no idea so many eventual members of the Large Band were from that cohort of musicians, guys you knew?
A: Oh, yes. J. David Sloan and the Rogues. [Guitarist] Ray Herndon, [bassist] Matt McKenzie, [pianist] Matt Rollings. These guys hung out at Mr. Lucky’s and so did I because the club had three levels of music. One was country, one was R&B and one was blues, I think. I knew these cats because they played all over town in other bands. Mr. Lucky’s was a happening place. There was lots of drinks, lots of drugs and it went until three or four in the morning. It was way over on the west side. We’d finish our gigs and end up there. I didn’t actually meet Lyle until I was playing at Chuy’s in Tempe and he came in one night. They brought him in because he was looking for a singer for some backing tracks. The guys said, “We’ve got just the girl for you” and brought him into the club. The next day, I got the call to come in and cut backing vocals [on “An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy” for his [1986] debut [“Lyle Lovett”].
I got my wish. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this forever. But thanks to Lyle Lovett, I got to experience all of this.
Francine Reed
Q: In May, Lyle and the Large Band played four nights at City Winery in New York and you all also taped a segment for “CBS Saturday Morning.” And then, because the shows kept selling out, shows were added. What was all of that like for you?
A: It was very, very hard. My take away? I learned I could do more than I thought I could. I just wasn’t sure from the get-go. I considered calling and telling them, “I can’t do this.” At 75, I’m having some medical issues these days. I have this pain in my legs and the doctors aren’t sure what it is. It doesn’t allow me to walk a whole lot. It was a crazy schedule but we stayed at [Conrad New York], one of my favorite hotels, [formerly] the Regal Royal hotel. We used to stay there a lot back in the 1990s. Some of the same people are still working there. That was special. But when they added that last show, I had to give myself a little pep talk. I prayed a lot. I didn’t want to let anybody down.
Q: You’ve known Lyle Lovett since 1984. What do people need to know about him as a boss?
A: He never seemed like a boss. He has always, always been kind to me. I never considered him a boss, even though he paid me. To this day, he calls me “Miss Reed.” I call Lyle my man. Any man who makes me smile like that? And gives me money? Thanks to Lyle Lovett, I got my wish. I would go to shows with friends in Phoenix and I always wanted to travel as a singer, to tour. I always wished I could do that. Just get on a bus and leave and hit another town to perform. Be careful what you ask for, Lord have mercy! (laughs). The only thing that changed was time. As James Brown told us, “money won’t change you but time will take you on.” I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this forever. But thanks to Lyle Lovett, I got to experience all of this. It’s been wonderful.
Richard L. Eldredge is the founder and editor in chief of Eldredge ATL. As a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Atlanta magazine, he has covered Atlanta since 1990.
