Biography
Mike Reid, once a defensive tackle with the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL, ranked among contemporary country music’s most sensitive composers of romantic material. Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to a railroad worker, he began playing piano at six yet devoted his primary energy to athletics. In 1969 he captured the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top collegiate defensive lineman, while also performing with local bands and earning a music degree. Selected in the first round of the draft, he was named the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1970.
Alongside his gridiron duties, Reid continued gigging with regional groups. During recovery from an injury he encountered Larry Gatlin, who praised Reid’s composition “Time Runs Away” and urged him to develop his songwriting. In the off-season he appeared as a classical pianist with orchestras in Dallas, Cincinnati, and Utah. Following knee surgery in 1975, Reid retired from football, joined the Apple Butter Band, and worked the Colorado ski-resort circuit. Songwriting influences included Leonard Cohen and Randy Newman; Jerry Jeff Walker’s 1978 recording of one of his pieces prompted Reid to chase a full-time career. He joined ATV Publishing in 1980 for eighteen months, then, after meeting Rob Galbraith of Milsap Music, moved to that firm and supplied several tracks to Ronnie Milsap’s 1982 album Inside, among them the chart-topping “Stranger in My House.” Sylvia likewise enjoyed a major success with another of his songs. Additional cuts reached Mark Gray, Marie Osmond, Tanya Tucker, and Conway Twitty, the latter scoring a substantial hit with “Fallin’ for You for Years.”
Across the 1980s Reid accumulated eleven number-one singles. He launched his own recording career in 1990 by signing with Columbia and issuing Turning for Home, which yielded the chart-topping “Walk on Faith.” Three further chart entries followed in 1991, among them “As Simple as That.” His most prolific stretch arrived in 1992, when he delivered multiple number-one compositions for other artists, notably Collin Raye’s “In This Life.”
Alongside his gridiron duties, Reid continued gigging with regional groups. During recovery from an injury he encountered Larry Gatlin, who praised Reid’s composition “Time Runs Away” and urged him to develop his songwriting. In the off-season he appeared as a classical pianist with orchestras in Dallas, Cincinnati, and Utah. Following knee surgery in 1975, Reid retired from football, joined the Apple Butter Band, and worked the Colorado ski-resort circuit. Songwriting influences included Leonard Cohen and Randy Newman; Jerry Jeff Walker’s 1978 recording of one of his pieces prompted Reid to chase a full-time career. He joined ATV Publishing in 1980 for eighteen months, then, after meeting Rob Galbraith of Milsap Music, moved to that firm and supplied several tracks to Ronnie Milsap’s 1982 album Inside, among them the chart-topping “Stranger in My House.” Sylvia likewise enjoyed a major success with another of his songs. Additional cuts reached Mark Gray, Marie Osmond, Tanya Tucker, and Conway Twitty, the latter scoring a substantial hit with “Fallin’ for You for Years.”
Across the 1980s Reid accumulated eleven number-one singles. He launched his own recording career in 1990 by signing with Columbia and issuing Turning for Home, which yielded the chart-topping “Walk on Faith.” Three further chart entries followed in 1991, among them “As Simple as That.” His most prolific stretch arrived in 1992, when he delivered multiple number-one compositions for other artists, notably Collin Raye’s “In This Life.”
Albums
The True Wind Project
2024
Bone Yard Boat
2021
Sailin' in the Rain (Sailing in the Rain)
2021
Sailin' On (Sailing On)
2021
Twilight Town
1992
Turning For Home
1991
Reid All About It
1977
The Ugly Duckling
1976
Ter-rif-ic
1973
Singles
