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Local country musician Will Reid is reaching greater audiences than ever before.
Since becoming affiliated with Jordash Records over two years ago and the release of his songs “Albuquerque” and “Cold Heart,” Reid has continued to broaden his music horizons by working to record more songs and traveling more extensively to perform.
He continues to perform in Virginia, but this year, he has also traveled to Nashville, Kansas City, and Texas.
“This year has been a really cool year in terms of different shows and things I have been able to do,” he said.
One of those things included singing the national anthem at several rodeos. In August, Reid sang in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena for PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Nashville Stampede Days. The PBR is a professional bull riding circuit, and Nashville Stampede Days feature PBR teams from around the country. Reid sang on the Friday night of the event to a crowd of 7,000 people.
He learned about the opportunity from the Nashville Stampede, the Nashville PBR team, and after sending in a video and receiving approval from boards and committees, he was given the opportunity to sing. Reid explained it was the biggest thing he had done with music so far.
Reid has also sung for several lineman’s rodeos this year, the Gaff-n-Go in Richmond in May, and the International Lineman’s Rodeo in Kansas City in October.
Lineman rodeos aren’t livestock rodeos — they are competitions between linemen to accomplish traditional linemen tasks. Reid is a lineman and has been a full-time employee of BARC Electric Cooperative for the past nine years. Through his connections with others in the industry, he was asked to sing the national anthem for the rodeos.
He explained, “You just meet enough people and eventually they allow you to do that.”
These rodeos were great opportunities for Reid to sing to larger crowds given that the Gaff-n-Go is one of the largest lineworker rodeos on the East Coast, and the International Lineman’s Rodeo in Kansas City hosts thousands of competitors from all across the world.
In addition to singing the national anthem at rodeos, Reid traveled and performed with a gospel country quartet called Texas Star this past spring. They reached out to Reid to invite him to try out for their tour. After meeting them in Nashville and singing a few songs for them, they offered him the opportunity to go on the road with them for a week.
Taking a bus, they all traveled from Nashville to Fort Worth, Texas, and once in Texas, they sang at the Cowtown Coliseum to open for a rodeo. The group and Reid played a couple sets in the arena before the rodeo and played outside the arena in a nearby meadow after the rodeo. The next day they traveled to play at a cowboy church — a church service in an arena where people play songs and listen to the preacher.
Upon returning to Nashville, Reid decided to pursue his own music, but he explained he was “thankful that they even considered having me, and letting me get that experience was by far cooler than anything I’ve done.”
Reid returns to Nashville once a month to work on his music by participating in writer rounds, unpaid shows where musicians can perform original music. Reid has actively participated in two so far at a place that lets the musicians play four or five original songs each time. He explained that writer rounds are a great way for a musician to get themselves out there because record label representatives often come to listen. In addition, it is a good way to find artists to collaborate with because of the other musicians who are there.
“You never know who you will meet,” he said.
Reid continues to work with Jordash Records to find a time when he can record four more songs. He currently has nine songs recorded that haven’t been released, but once he records the last four songs, he can have a complete album produced.
All in all, Reid is making important steps toward his dream. In addition to his travels for music, he continues to play in the Virginia area.
For anyone interested in going out and listening to him, dates for future performances can be found on willreidmusic. com.
