"People write for differnt reasons," Mike Reid admits. "I think I write songs to tell myself, to explain to myself what I've gone through, to remake the little parts of me or my life that are broken."
For more than ten years Reid's thoughtful soul-searching has made him one of Nashville's most successful songwriters. On Twilight Town, his second Columbia album, he again proves that songwriting is only part of the equation.
A soulful singer with a keen sense of what serves a song best, Reid recruited producers Peter Bunetta and Rick Chudacoff--best known for their work on Smokey Robinson's Grammy nominated "Just to See Her," Patti LaBelle's "New Attitude" and the title track from Michael Bolton's "Soul Provider"--to bring out the intimacy that's indicative of Reid's best work. Recorded largely in California, Twilight Town is an album that takes Reid's artistic vision and performances to the next level.
Of course, Reid is no stranger to success. From his start in the early `70s as All-Pro defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals to his acclaimed 1990 solo debut Turning for Hom, which yielded the #1 debut smash "Walk On Faith", the first #1 hit by a new Columbia artist since Lefty Frizzell hit the top of the charts with "If you've Got the Money (I've Got the Time)" in 1954. Reid has reaped a multitude of rewards for his many talents. ASCAP's Writer of the Year in 1985, Reid's won two Grammies for Country Song of the Year for Ronnie Millsap's "Stranger in My House" and "Lost in the `50s Tonight." In addition he's written #1 hits for the Judds ("Born to Be Blue"), ("There You Are"). And just this year, he's scored on both the pop and country charts with Tanya Tucker's smoky "Some Kind of Trouble" and Collin Raye's second career ballad, the soaring "In This Life" and with Bonnie Raitt's wrenching "I Can't Make You Love Me."
On Twilight Town, Reid offers his own reflective rendition of the Raitt hit, as well as bring his special heartfelt insight, humor and understanding to the project's other nine tracks. "I write from either personal experiences about things I've either seen or idealized," he says. "I try to make life seem or give the hope that it's possibly sweeter than it is"
Ever since receiving his degree in music from Penn State in 1970, Reid's balanced a down-to-earth practicality with visionary outlook. Already a college football star and Outland Trophy winner, Reid was the first round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. By the end of his first season, he was named Rookie of the Year and was named all-Pro in 1972 and 1973. But while still playing pro ball, Reid often made off-season appearances with symphony orchestras in Cincinnati, Dallas and San Antonio. "Music and football have interested and propelled me all my life," he says with characteristic understatement.