What does a blues artist, Nashville, and the NFL have in common?

Number 74-Mike Reid.

Reid received a Bachelors of Arts degree in music in college while at Penn State. He was also an All-American defensive football player. He was 6’ 3” and 255 lbs. Fast enough to draw the interest of being a first round draft pick in 1970. He would be defensive rookie player of the year and be selected to the Pro Bowl two years before retiring from the NFL in 1974.

That’s when his life got interesting!

When he quit playing football, he concentrated on playing the piano. He started a band. He attracted the attention of a few artists in Nashville (such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Ronnie Milsap, and Larry Gatlin).

He started shopping some of the songs he had written to country music royalty and hit gold. In 1984, he won a Grammy for a song recorded by Milsap.

His winning streak just kept going. His songs were recorded by Marie Osmond, Tanya Tucker, Alabama and Conway Twitty. But it was in 1991, when blues guitarist and singer Bonnie Raitt took an interest in a song Reid had written with Allen Shamblin, that he really hit the big time.

“I Can’t Make You Love Me” was a Billboard Top 20 hit for Raitt from her album Luck Of The Draw. She invited Bruce Hornsby to play the piano on the song as well, which attracted a new audience of his fans. Suddenly, the song was not only a hit for her, but countless other artists covered the ballad too. Mike Reid was elated... and stunned.

https://youtu.be/-Lh_BTPsXOQ

Watch the video above for more about composer/football player Mike Reid. Check for more about singers/songwriters coming up in the next few months at TheRockandRollProfessor.com.

Have a great week! 😊

Rob