One of the best pieces of advice that Johnny Reid has ever received came from his father, who once said, “If you can figure out a way to make a living doing something you’d do for free, then you’re going to have it made.”
Reid has parlayed his love and talent for music into a career as one of Canada’s biggest country music stars; a performer who has numerous platinum albums and an assortment of awards. But the words of his father, a Scottish diesel mechanic who brought his family to Canada in 1988 when Johnny Reid was 13 years old, still
ring true.
Reid will be performing at Affinity Place on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Perhaps it’s fitting that his appearance will be on Valentine’s Day, since the name of his latest album and his latest tour are What Love is
All About.
“The life I love consists of basically four blocks: write, record, release and tour,” Reid told the Mercury while speaking from Nashville, Tennessee. “I’ve written the record, I’ve recorded the record, I’ve released the record and now it’s time to get out there and tour the record.”
He looks forward to getting out on the road and sharing the music with everyone. Reid will often be nervous after an album is released, since he wants it to resonate with people.
The response so far has been favourable. It recently went platinum – an increasingly difficult feat due to the changing way in which people purchase music. The thrill of having a platinum album is a feeling that never grows old.
“When we released our first album … people were out there buying records … even all the way up to the Fire It Up album,” said Reid. “Then digital sales came in, and it was more of a singles-driven market, but we never changed. It was one thing that never changed for us. We always sold albums.
“I’ve always taken great pride in making an album, not just a single, and making a cohesive body of work that reflects the time period for myself during the time of writing it.”
The title track was the first song he wrote for the album. Reid penned it while he was making regular trips to Europe, after a song he wrote, Fire it Up, was recorded by famed British singer Joe Cocker and experienced a lot of success overseas. While writing some more songs while overseas, Reid realized he was working on a new album.
Music has been a big part of his life since he was young and singing in his native Scotland. But he was also passionate for sports, and a good enough athlete to play football in university.
“It was my last year (of university), I was almost finished, and I had been been singing my whole way through primary school, middle school, high school and even college,” said Reid. “I was singing in college, and I realized quite quickly that I was a better singer than a football player.”
So rather than trying to play professional football – which he said was never really an option – he heeded his father’s advice, and ventured into the music world, trying to make money with his music, even though he would have done
it for free.
“For me, it was never really about buses and billboards,” said Reid. “It was always about taking a God-given talent, and sharing that talent and that gift with as many people as humanly possible. And if I can make a few dollars along the way, to take care of my family, then that would be gravy.”
Even when he was a struggling musician, he was still writing and singing, gaining traction and making some money to carve out a living.
It was his 2005 album, Born to Roll, that made him a star in Canadian country music circles. Three of his albums have gone double platinum, and three more went platinum.
Natalie MacMaster, JJ Shiplett and Aaron Goodvin will be the opening acts for Reid’s appearance in Estevan. He says he knows all three, as they are part of his recording label.
Tickets are still available for the concert.
