Remembering Marvell Reed, a husband, father, friend and Sacramento radio visionary
Marvell Churon Reed, 52, a driving force behind Sacramento’s KDEE radio who was remembered as a soft-spoken and purpose-driven leader in Sacramento, died unexpectedly on Dec. 1. His family has requested to keep the cause of death private, but confirmed it was not related to COVID-19.
Funeral services for Reed will be held Tuesday at Northgate Christian Fellowship at 2201 Lake Herman Rd. in Benicia. The viewing begins at 10 a.m. and the service will start at 11 a.m. Masks are required for all attending the service.
Reed was born in San Francisco on Feb. 7, 1969, to Linda Rosalia Alayon and Jesse Reed. Both parents preceded him in death. He received his formal education in San Francisco. He attended Pelton Middle School, Galileo High School and City College of San Francisco.
Reed’s musical genius started long before he joined KDEE. He always had a passion for listening, critiquing, creating, producing and mixing music. He possessed a heart for music.
He was affectionately known as “Laid”, “Mr. Laid” or “Kool-Aid” because he was told that his beats have more flavor than the Kool-Aid beverage. His entrepreneurial endeavors drove him to co-start a DJ company, which turned into his own music production company and a record label company called LaidBlack Productions.
Kevin Davis, known as “Chill Black,” was Reed’s friend and co-founder of LaidBlack Productions. They originally met at a party Davis was DJing when Reed asked him to a DJ battle. They had a good laugh and quickly became close friends.
“We quickly got together and started a DJ Company called Reality Productions where we did tons of house parties and clubs in the hood,” said Davis. “After doing parties for years, we wanted to start producing our own music, so we hooked up with Shelly Tatum and Kim Mitchell to begin our journey on learning how to construct music.”
That experience led them to learn more about the music industry and they eventually formed LaidBlack Productions. The first group they produced was UDI, which consisted of Quinton “Big Quint” Morris and Derrick “Digg” Reed, the younger brother of Marvell Reed.
Through LaidBlack Productions, the friends worked with many Bay Area artists, such as Too $hort, Mac Dre, B-Legit, Mac Mall, RBL Posse, Black C, Yukmouth, Keak Da Sneak, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, Cougnut, Conscious Daughters, Rappin’ 4-Tay, JT Da Bigga Figga, San Quinn, Messy Marv, Guce, Cold World Hustlers, Big Mack, Herm Lewis, Pho Balo, and Charlie Manhattan.
Reed met his wife, Apryle, in 2001 while engineering her recording session when she was singing. The two began dating, Reed proposed at Providence Baptist Church and they were married on Dec. 22, 2009.
A man of God, Reed was christened at Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco; his family would later attend All Hallows Catholic Church. Reed would eventually join Providence Baptist Church of San Francisco where he was baptized by the late-Calvin Jones Jr.
He dedicated his passion for music to the church. Frequently, Reed volunteered his time by assisting the church with recordings and sound production. He became the go-to man for music equipment and the church’s audio needs. Reed often stayed late after rehearsals to adjust audio levels or test musical instruments. He would eventually be hired as the church’s Audio and Media Coordinator.
Under Reed’s direction, the church expanded its audience by purchasing screens, television monitors and video cameras. The sound system was updated and produced an overall better production for live events.
KDEE radio in Sacramento
Within the Sacramento community, he was recognized as the beloved program director and general manager of KDEE 97.5 FM.
Reed took over as manager of the radio station in 2008, succeeding the late-Aubry Stone. He helped develop the station’s latest sound and algorithm by establishing a focus on community engagement, accompanied with great music. His vision was for KDEE to become the Black voice of Sacramento.
He brought in on-air personalities that discussed and educated the community on important issues such as real estate, financial literacy, community news and the culture of Black Sacramento.
Reed liked most movies and TV shows, but his favorites were Good Times, The Wire, B.M.F., and any show in the Power franchise. His wife often would tease him by suggesting he would enjoy watching any “hood” show or movie.
Before the pandemic, he would often spend all day at the movies with his family, where he would order hot dogs, popcorn, peanut M&Ms, and a Diet Pepsi. He stayed up-to-date on the latest electronic gadgets. He always looked to learn something new, and he often learned new software and equipment by viewing YouTube videos.
He is survived by his wife, Apryle. He leaves five children to cherish his memory: Anthony “Tony” Baker, II (Angelia), Marvelle “Junior” Reed, Jr., Johnel Reed, Breyana Reed, and Nia Greer. He will be fondly remembered by his stepmother, Ella “Dotty” Reed. He was a big brother to seven siblings: Cassandra Reed of San Francisco, La Geachia Johnson of Antioch, Jessica Williams (LeRoy) of Cypress, James Johnson of Antioch, Ja Porsha Reed of San Francisco, Lugh Markland of San Francisco, and Kevin Mitchell, Jr. (stepbrother) of San Diego. He will be missed by his two grandchildren: Anthony Baker, III and Ava Baker. His two goddaughters, Laniah Williams (niece) and Laiyah Williams (niece), along with a host of other nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends will treasure his memory.
Condolence messages may be sent to Dan Scales at Alta Vista Funeral Home, located at 107 West Eighth Street in Pittsburg at the attention of Marvell Reed.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.