Vernon Reid is an English composer, songwriter and guitarist based in New York City. After leaving London, England at a young age Reid was raised and educated in New York City. Reid gained initial recognition as part of the jazz drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson’s band The Decoding Society and through his collaboration with the renowned jazz guitarist and composer Bill Frisell in the 1980s. In 1984 Reid formed the stylistically diverse rock band Living Colour in which he played lead guitar as well as contributing vocals and composing songs, which often engaged with politically charged themes and fused a variety of musical genres. Reid led the band through a number of iterations, touring widely and gaining mainstream success with a stable line up between 1986 and 1991. While Living Colour disbanded in 1995 they reunited in the year 2000 and have been performing and producing new music ever since. In 1985 Reid also co-founded - alongside the journalist Greg Tate and producer Konda Mason - the Black Rock Coalition, an artist collective and non-profit organization which continues to support and distribute Black alternative music. Reid performed at The Kitchen several times; first as part of Ronald Shannon Jackson’s band in 1980, as part of Living Colour in 1987 and twice with the Black Rock Coalition in 1986 and 1990. For further information please see http://livingcolour.com/ and http://blackrockcoalition.org/.