BIGSONG:
With his rootsy mix of country, pop, and rock, Scottish-Canadian singer/songwriter Johnny Reid broke into the Canadian mainstream in the mid-2000s with a series of increasingly popular albums that culminated with his chart-topping 2010 release, A Place Called Love. A winner of multiple Juno and Canadian Country Music Association awards, Reid continued to establish himself as a prominent touring act who could not only fill seats but sing powerfully enough to be heard in the back. His success continued throughout the decade with albums like 2015’s Bob Ezrin-produced What Love Is All About and 2017’s soul-inspired Revival.
Born to Roll
Born in Lanark, Scotland, Reid’s family immigrated to Canada in 1988, settling in Brampton, Ontario. He began his music career in his early twenties, releasing his independent debut album, Another Day, Another Dime, in 1996. Four years later, his eponymous sophomore album fared better, producing a trio of charting singles. It was Reid’s third album, however, that more or less introduced him to the record-buying public. Released in 2014, Born to Roll featured a big-hearted, robustly produced sound that surrounded the singer’s gritty Bruce Springsteen-meets-Joe Cocker vocal delivery with a heartfelt blend of country and roots rock with Celtic undertones, notching him his first two Top Ten singles in “Time Flies” and “Missing an Angel.” Reid’s star continued to rise over the next few years with 2007’s Kicking Stones and 2009’s Dance with Me, both of which yielded their share of high-performing singles. Despite living in Nashville, his considerable touring base remained north of the border where he began to fill arenas throughout Canada.
Fire It Up
After ending the decade with his first Christmas album, Reid signed with EMI, which released his sixth album, A Place Called Love, in 2010. It marked a career high for the singer and debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart. By this point he’d already earned a shelf-full of Canadian Country Music Association awards and could now add a Juno to his collection for Country Album of the Year. He followed it up in 2012 with Fire It Up, another Juno winner that featured duets with singers Serena Ryder and Carolyn Dawn Johnson. His second Christmas album, A Christmas Gift to You, appeared in 2013 and was another chart-topper. Switching over from EMI to Universal Music Canada, Reid began a collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper) on 2015’s What Love Is All About. Ezrin also helmed 2017’s Revival, which saw an increasing soul influence in Reid’s music.
