BIO

Sharay Reed is a bassist, writer and entrepreneur from Chicago, Illinois. He is a proficient player on the upright, electric, and synth basses, reads music, and is a music director, arranger, and producer. 

At age 17, he was chosen from among hundreds of musicians from all over the United States to play in the Grammy All-American High School Jazz Band- an Elite group of the countries Best up and comingyoung jazz musicians. He went to Los Angeles to perform alongside Branford Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval at the Grammy awards ceremony. The following year, he was awarded a Full academic and music scholarship to DePaul University in Chicago, where he graduated with a BA degree in Music. 

Sharay got his first break in music when he recorded upright bass on Yolanda Adam’s “Songs from the Heart” album with producer Percy Bady. From there, he has gone on to play in the bands of Patti LaBelle, Kirk Franklin, R. Kelly, CeCe Winans, Boys II Men, Ramsey Lewis, Aretha Franklin, and Chaka Khan, to name a few.

In 2013, Sharay entered the Masters program at DePaul University in Chicago, where he earned his Masters Degree in Composition. He plays in the bands of Aretha Franklin, R. Kelly, Ray Chew Productions, Cory Henry, and Yolanda Adams. He does freelance bass playing for a variety of other artists and projects. He teaches private bass lessons and plays bass for the Mar’s Hill Baptist Church of Chicago, when he's home.

Sharay is a Fender Artist and he endorses Gallien Krueger Amplifiers/Speakers and Dunlop Strings. He is married and has 4 children.

GK GEAR