With the support of his wife, Reid stuck it out, picking up sporadic work and writing songs when time allowed. To save money, he recorded demo versions of his compositions and decided to sing them himself, rather than paying a session vocalist. It was not long after that, people within the music industry started taking notice of Reid’s unique voice and delivery. Eventually, Reid started getting hired to record demos for other writers, and eventually Universal Records offered him his first record deal for a new label of theirs. It was at this moment Reid decided to take destiny into his own hands.


Te singer went to the bank, took out a loan, and financed his own album. He recorded it in one day and later licensed it to Universal Records. Tat album, Born to Roll, came out of the gate as a platinum seller. His subsequent albums: Kicking Stones, Dance With Me, and most recently A Place Called Love have all achieved multi-platinum status. Tis massive success drew the attention of Ian Ralfini, President of EMI/Manhattan Records, who signed Reid—but insisted that he not try to change his style for a new market. “When I asked Ian what he wanted, he replied emphatically ‘I don’t care what it is, as long as it’s a Johnny Reid record,’” the singer recalls.


Photo by Brooke Boling


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