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One of my favorite stories.

Mike Reid:

I am sometimes asked "Who was the most famous person you have interviewed?" My usual answer is "Michael Jordan".

  But, I should point out my "interview" with Jordan was in a crowded locker room after a game and I was one of a bunch of reporters asking him a question. So really, he's the most famous guy I ever stuck in the face with a microphone.

  Mike Reid was an All Pro Football player with the Cincinnati Bengals in the early seventies. He surprised many when he retired at age 27 to pursue a career in music.

 Mike Reid went on to write songs recorded by Willie Nelson, Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt, among others.

In 1990, (when I was at SportsChannel America) Reid released his first album as a singer and when I saw his music video on CMT

I immediately called his record label and asked for an interview.

 At first, the people at Columbia records were reluctant to grant me an interview, they wanted to promote the musician, not the ex football player.

But I was one determined fellow. I called the publicist at the label once a week for months until I wore them down.

  It was such a kick! In 1971, I had his football card and twenty years later, I had his CD.

  I served as field producer for the story and my colleague Steve Karmazin was the reporter.

Groucho Marx:

 My first question to him was how audiences would react to the musician being introduced is a 6'4" ex foootball player.

Football:

 It is not often when a professional athlete retires at thier peak but Mike explains appearances can be decieving.

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Lorrie Morgan:

It was about this time the singer Lorrie Morgan had success with a song called "He talks to me". To me, it was her signature song.

Today, that distinction would probably go to "Something in Red" .

Anyway, back to "He talks to me"....I was surprised two guys wrote it!

Artistic Choices:

I have always wondered if an artist has proprietary feelings or feels a loss of control when something they wrote is now in someone else's hands.

Maggie:

And three months later, my sister met Mike Reid at the annual Fan Fair in Nashville, Tennessee. Don't blink or you'll miss it.

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