Podcasts History Witness History The US singer who became the Soviet Unions Red Elvis

The US singer who became the Soviet Unions Red Elvis

Published: July 21, 2023, 9 a.m.

In 1966, at the height of the Cold War, American singer Dean Reed became the first western rock and roll star to tour the Soviet Union.

His visit was such a success that over the next two decades Dean became known as \u2018Red Elvis\u2019.

His concerts behind the Iron Curtain were sell-outs and he was mobbed by fans.

But when he wanted to return home to the United States, the reaction he faced was very different, as Dean\u2019s daughter Ramona told Jane Wilkinson.

(Photo: Dean Reed in East Berlin, 1976. Credit: Getty Images)