Johnny Reid laughs when he talks about family — his kids, his Scottish grandmother, even his mother’s cleaning job. They’re the foundation behind every note he sings. When we speak ahead of his return to Thunder Bay, the multi–platinum selling, JUNO Award–winning singer-songwriter is open, grounded, and as quick with a laugh as he is with a heartfelt truth.
For more than two decades, Reid has been one of Canada’s most beloved voices — a soulful performer whose concerts feel like a celebration, thanks to his unique blend of soul, folk, and country, and whose stories always seem to lead back to family. He’s also a natural storyteller, the kind of artist who can turn a memory, a moment, or a quiet truth into something shared. It’s part of what guided our conversation, drawing us deeper into the people and experiences that shaped him. “I take my daughter out for dinner, just me and her,” he says. “I tell her: be unapologetically yourself. Go where the love is. Don’t waste time where people don’t see your value.”
That grounded sense of family fuels both his music and his latest creative chapter — Maggie, the musical inspired by his grandmother’s life in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Maggie is a poignant and uplifting story that follows the life of a young Scottish woman who, like Reid’s grandmother, faced the challenges of widowhood and single motherhood with resilience and grace. Reid grew up surrounded by hard work and heart. His grandmother was widowed at 21, raising three boys on her own. “I spent a lot of time at her house,” he remembers. “When she passed, people kept saying how much they wished they could’ve met her. One day, I thought — what if I could make that happen? What if I could put her on stage so they can?”
That idea became Maggie, a labour of love that took almost a decade to make. Reid teamed up with playwright Matt Murray, who helped shape his memories into story and song. Producer Michael Rubinoff — the creative mind behind Come From Away — joined the journey and guided the show through years of development. After early workshops, Maggie premiered at the Confederation Centre in PEI, then played Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius, the Highland Arts Theatre in Cape Breton, and, most recently, at Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut. “I flew my kids in to watch their great-granny come alive on stage,” Reid says softly. “I’ll never forget it.”
There’s a Thunder Bay thread running through the production, too. Director Mary Francis Moore grew up here, the daughter of Scottish immigrants, and Reid lights up talking about her. “Her family’s story mirrors mine,” he says. “She brought so much truth to it — that same immigrant grit, that humour, that heart.” Together, they built something that feels less like a musical and more like a tribute to generations of women who carried families through love and loss.
Offstage, fatherhood keeps Reid grounded. His two sons are grown now — both recent university graduates — but his teenage daughter still keeps him on his toes. “With my boys, we’d talk best while doing something — throwing a football, walking the dogs. With my daughter, I’ve learned the less I say, the better. We go on little dates — just us. Dinner, a movie, a drive. I want to show her what it means to be valued.” He admits parenting looks different today, especially with technology shaping kids’ social lives. “Snapchat can show you where all your friends are,” he says. “Imagine turning it on and seeing everyone hanging out without you. That kind of exclusion hits hard. We didn’t grow up with that. It’s something parents have to pay attention to.”
For all his success, Reid measures his life not in awards or tours, but in small moments — laughter, connection, the stories passed down through family. His voice warms when he talks about the lessons he hopes his daughter carries forward. “Know your worth,” he says. “Go where the light is. Go where the love is.”
It’s the same message that shines through his music — love, resilience, and the belief that no matter how hard life gets, there’s beauty in the people who hold us together. And when Johnny Reid steps onto the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium stage on December 7, that’s the spirit he’ll bring with him. A night of songs that resonate with our shared experiences, stories that honour where we come from, and the reminder that even in tough times, there is always something worth celebrating.
Johnny Reid – Live in Thunder Bay
Saturday, December 7, 2025 • 7:30 p.m.
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
Tickets available through TBCA.
