Eli Paperboy Reed

Born Eli Husock on July 14, 1983 in Boston, Massachusetts, the soul/R&B singer/songwriter is better known as Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed. He was the son of a music critic while he was growing up, he learned how to play piano and harmonica. After graduating from high school, he moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 2002 and began exploring the juke joint culture. The following year, he moved to Chicago and enrolled in the University of Chicago. He began hosting a radio show – We Got More Soul – and playing piano at the South Side Chicago Church, where he was discovered by gospel/soul singer Mitty Collier. After a year, he returned to Boston to focus on his music career. He put together a backing band, The True Loves, and released his debut solo album, Sings Walkin’ & Talkin’ & Other Smash Hits, in 2005. He signed with the Q Division label and issued his second album, Roll with You, in 2008. Because of the album’s critical success and rave reviews of his live performances, he signed with Capitol Records and released the album Come and Get It in 2010. He then signed with Warner Bros. Records and released Nights Like This in 2014. Moving over to Yep Roc Records, he released the albums My Way Home (2016), Meets High & Mighty Brass Band (2018), and 99 Cent Dreams (2019). In July 2020, he issued the single “Shine”.