Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 279,705 playable programmes from the BBC

Dean Reed - Death of a Comrade

on BBC Radio 2

Mark Lamarr recalls the unconventional life of singer, songwriter and actor Dean Reed. Sometimes dubbed the Red Elvis or the communist Johnny Cash, the teen-idol-looking Reed was virtually unknown in his native America. But following moves to Chile, Argentina, Italy (where he starred in numerous spaghetti westerns) and finally East Germany, he became one of the Soviet bloc's biggest stars. Reed was found dead in an East Berlin lake in 1986, aged 47, in what appeared to be a suicide. Contributors include Stefan Ernsting, author of Der Rote Elvis (The Red Elvis), American defector Victor Grossman, biographer Chuck Laszewski and journalist Russell Miller. Plus archive input from Dean Reed and Phil Everly.

Contributors

Presenter:
Mark Lamarr
Interviewee:
Stefan Ernsting
Interviewee:
Victor Grossman
Interviewee:
Chuck Laszewski
Interviewee:
Russell Miller
Producer:
Bob McDowall

BBC Radio 2

About BBC Radio 2

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

Appears in

Suggest an Edit

We are trying to reflect the information printed in the Radio Times magazine.

  • Press the 'Suggest an Edit' button
  • Type in any changes to the title, synopsis or contributor information using the Radio Times Style Guide for reference.
  • Click the Submit Edits button.
    Your changes will be sent for verification and if accepted, will appear in due course More