Johnny Reid

Early Life

Johnny Reid immigrated to Canada with his family when he was 15 years old. His father, a diesel mechanic from Glasgow, Scotland, sought more opportunities abroad and brought his family to Brampton, Ontario. A self-taught guitar player, Reid started putting words to music even before arriving in Canada. He graduated from Turner Fenton Secondary School in Brampton, then attended Bishop’s University in Quebec on a sports scholarship. Reid was the kicker on Bishop’s’ varsity football team. He also met his wife, Jennifer, during his university years.

Early Career

Johnny Reid first started writing songs seriously while at university. After graduating from Bishop’s, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he was hired as a staff writer for the now defunct publishing arm of DreamWorks. His first record, Another Day, Another Dime (1997), was released independently on JCD Records. Reid followed that with the self-titled Johnny Reid (2000), which had three singles on the charts: “Given Up to Me,” “Runnin’ Wild” and “She Don’t Wanna Hear.”

Career Highlights, 2005–10

Johnny Reid’s third studio album, Born to Roll (2005), went on to be certified platinum in Canada. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Canadian Top Country Albums chart and featured Reid’s first top 10 single, “Missing an Angel.” It reached No. 6 on the country singles chart. Another single, “Time Flies,” also cracked the top 10. In 2007, Emerson Drive covered the leadoff single from Born to Roll, “You Still Own Me.” Their version reached number two on the US Billboard Hot Country charts.

Open Road Recordings released Reid’s fourth studio record, Kicking Stones, on 10 April 2007. Kicking Stones was recorded at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario. The album was nominated for a Juno Award for Country Recording of the Year and was certified double platinum in Canada. Reid also won the Independent Male Artist of the Year at the CCMA Awards.

Reid’s fifth studio album, Dance with Me (2009), was recorded at the Blue Room Studios in Nashville. It debuted at the top spot on the Canadian Country Album charts. It also hit No. 3 on the Canadian Albums charts and was certified gold within 48 hours of its release. It went on to be certified triple platinum in Canada, while the title track was a certified platinum single. A live performance by Reid at Edmonton’s Jubilee Theatre during his Dance with Me tour was released as the music DVD Johnny Reid: Live at the Jubilee (2010). It went on to be certified triple platinum in Canada.

A Place Called Love (2010), Reid’s sixth album, was his first with EMI Records Canada. It stayed at No. 1 on the Canadian albums chart for four weeks. The record sold 31,000 copies in its first week alone and went on to be certified double platinum in Canada.

Career Highlights, 2012–20

Johnny Reid’s second album with EMI, Fire It Up (2012) features a pair of duets with two fellow Canadians Serena Ryder (“Walking on Water”) and Carolyn Dawn Johnson (“Baby I Know it”). The record won Reid his third Juno Award for Country Album of the Year.

Released on 22 October 2013 and produced by Bob Ezrin, A Christmas Gift to You (2013) went on to reach double-platinum status and won the Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year. Guests who appear on the record include Peter Frampton and Isabelle Boulay.

Reid’s first album with Universal Music Canada, What Love is all About (2015), was certified platinum in Canada. It features a duet with Kardinal Offishall on the reggae-infused “What I’m Feelin’ Right Now.” Reid’s ninth studio album, Revival, was released on 3 November 2017 and was certified gold in Canada. The first single released was “Soul Train.” Reid co-produced the record with Bob Ezrin.

Reid’s third Christmas album, My Kind of Christmas (2019) is a five-song EP that mixes holiday favourites with some seasonal originals by Reid. On 1 May 2020, Reid released the emotive single “People Like You” as a tribute to the victims of the 2020 Nova Scotia Attacks — the worst mass killing in modern Canadian history. All of the proceeds from sales of this song were donated to the Canadian Red Cross’ Stronger Together Nova Scotia Fund.

Career Highlights, 2021–Present

Johnny Reid’s 11th studio album, Love Someone, was released via Universal Music Canada on 15 October 2021. It includes a cover of John Hiatt’s classic “Have a Little Faith in Me.” Upon the album’s release, Reid told an interviewer: “Love Someone is a call to action. The pandemic has taught us all a lot about the significance of time and how we spend it. We need to look out for each other now more than ever.”

Other Activities

In 2016, Johnny Reid worked with Stoney Ridge Estate Winery in Ontario’s Niagara region to create a blended VQA Ontario red wine called Johnny Reid Tartan Red.

In 2020, Reid completed a US$2.2 million renovation of Randy Scruggs’s legendary Scrugg Sound Studios in Nashville. Reid had bought the recording studio in 2018 from Scruggs, prior to his death, and promised him it would reopen as a studio. Reid’s partners in the studio, now called Soultrain Sound Studios, are mix engineer Justin Cortelyou and Canadian songwriter/producer and engineer Tawgs Salter.

In 2022, Reid co-wrote the music, book and lyrics to a musical called Maggie. It is based on the life of Reid’s grandmother and tells the story of a single mother trying to raise three young boys in a rapidly changing world in the Scottish mining town of Lanarkshire.

Personal Life

Johnny Reid is married to his wife, Jennifer, whom he met at university. They have four children together: Justin, Tyler, Dylan and Ava. Reid and his family have lived in Nashville since 2000.

Awards

Juno Awards

• Country Album of the Year (Dance with Me) (2010)
• Country Album of the Year (A Place Called Love) (2011)
• Country Album of the Year (Fire it Up) (2013)
• Adult Contemporary Album of the Year (A Christmas Gift to You) (2014)
• Adult Contemporary Album of the Year (What Love is All About) (2016)

Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards

• Independent Single of the Year (2005)
• Rising Star Award (2006)
• Independent Single of the Year (2006)
• Independent Male Artist of the Year (2006)
• Independent Male Artist of the Year (2007)
• Top Selling Canadian Album (2008)
• Male Artist of the Year (2008)
• Male Artist of the Year (2009)
• CMT Video of the Year (2009)
• Top Selling Canadian Album (2009)
• Fans’ Choice Award (2009)
• Songwriter of the Year (2009)
• Album of the Year (2009)
• Single of the Year (2010)
• Songwriter of the Year (2010)
• Top Selling Canadian Album (2010)
• Fans’ Choice Award (2010)
• Fans’ Choice Award (2011)
• Male Artist of the Year (2011)
• Top Selling Canadian Album (2011)
• CMT Video of the Year (2011)
• Slaight Humanitarian Award (2011)
• Fans’ Choice Award (2012)
• Top Selling Canadian Album (2012)
• Top Selling Canadian Album (2013)
• Fans’ Choice Award (2014)
• Top Selling Canadian Album (2014)
• Fans’ Choice Award (2015)

Others

• National Achievement Award, SOCAN (2016)