photo: Jeff Min
photo: Jeff Min
A blowfly is an insect from the Diptera order. It has 6 subfamilies, and is often used in maggot therapy. It’s also the moniker of Clarence Reid, an eccentric songwriter who throughout the 60s and 70s penned numerous hits for some of soul music’s biggest stars. How exactly Clarence came to be Blowfly is a long story, one that involves all the trappings of a true Hollywood drama (there is a documentary out there
The Weird World of Blowfly); triumph in the face of adversity, setbacks in all its ugly forms, and alienation from an industry he helped build—all of which led him to eventually fade into obscurity like a dissident dream. The impression he left as the shameless, sex-romping superhero, Blowfly, still echoes throughout music today. Snoop, Devin the Dude, Del, and Ice-T all took a page from Blowfly’s bible. His recent resurgence, at 73, is a surprise. He’s not the same of course, and time has done a number on him—as he labors around with noticeable discomfort. But still he goes on. He goes on because when you’ve lived the life that he has that’s all you have left; to keep going and never look back.
photo: Jeff Min
photo: Jeff Min
photo: Jeff Min
photo: Jeff Min
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