Steven Reece

Steven was born September 12, 1947, graduated from Withrow High School, Cincinnati, USA, in 1965. He then started out as an independent music concert promoter, promoting jazz and pop concerts throughout Greater Cincinnati. His efforts in this area were recognised by "DownBeat" magazine, which was the bible of the jazz music industry, as one of the upcoming promoters. Reece developed a local program following the 1968 riots in Cincinnati that became one of his signature programs, known as Operation Step Up, which was targeted at inner city youth who have musical talents that he wanted to expose to the community. "Operation Step Up" was endorsed and supported by former Mayor Eugene Ruehlmann and funded by J. Corbitt Foundation. The program was highly successful involving more than 1,500 young people with performances in the West End, Avondale, and Evanston. A surprise event at Eden Park on a Sunday drew 5,000 people, and the late James Brown made a personal appearance. The program was recognized by former Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Out of "Operation Step Up", Reece started an independent recording label known as S.R. Records and recorded in 1969 an album called [m1496827], featuring his future wife singing several selections he wrote that are still being played all over the world.