Professional Music Career
Between football seasons, Reid would perform as a pianist for the Utah Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. During this time, he met Larry Gatlin, who helped Reid start his songwriting career. In 1984, he won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song with "Stranger in My House", which was recorded by Ronnie Milsap. Reid would also work with Marie Osmond, Tanya Tucker, Collin Raye, Alabama and Conway Twitty. In the 1980s and 1990s, Reid wrote twelve number one hits. He was also featured as a guest vocalist on Milsap's "Old Folks", a No. 2 hit from early 1988. He also co-wrote, with Allen Shamblin, Bonnie Raitt's standard "I Can't Make You Love Me".
In 1990, Reid signed to Columbia Records as a recording artist. His debut album Turning for Home produced a Number One country hit in its lead-off single "Walk on Faith", although the album's other singles were not as successful. His second and final album, 1992's Twilight Town, produced two singles which both missed the Top 40, and he was dropped from Columbia soon afterward.
By 1991, Reid composed the music for the Civil War musical A House Divided. After that he wrote six more musicals/operas, including Quilts, Different Fields, Eye of the Blackbird, Tales of Appalachia, In This House, and The Ballad of Little Jo, a Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater winner.
Reid was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
Read more about this topic: Mike Reid (American Football)
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