Perhaps the true definition of an artist is someone who can meld two seemingly unrelated talents into one finely-tuned trade. Glen Reid of Burk’s Falls has spent decades doing just that.
A certified cabinet maker and highly accomplished singer-song writer, Reid has successfully woven the two worlds together. He is one of the foremost luthiers — a guitar and string instrument maker — that this region has to offer.
Sitting in the living room of his ancestral farm, affectionately named Fiddler’s Green, Reid shows off one of his works of craftsmanship: a parlour guitar. A custom design of Reid’s own, the exquisite instrument, almost completely assembled with indigenous woods, was handcrafted in his basement shop.
Strumming the strings, Reid says this particular guitar is destined for a customer in Texas.
In fact, Reid has crafted hundreds of instruments ranging from banjos and mandolas to mandolins and guitars. His instruments have travelled the world over, making their way to Reid’s loyal and growing clientele.
His talent as a singer-songwriter shines through on Dusty Ol’ Denim (2007), his latest CD release. The tunes are an eclectic, soulful mix of original and traditional music.
Reid explained that the title track, Dusty Ol’ Denim, is about a “hayseed like myself and a society girl and making it work.”
Dusty Ol’ Denim also reflects how Reid feels about life in general.
“I am dusty. I am old. And I am denim,” he smiled.
Reid’s passion for music is obviously far from dusty, and it’s easy to see he draws from his years of life experience for his songs.
To trace back to his early days would lead one to Reid’s life growing up in the Burk’s Falls area. “I started playing on my father’s knee,” he says.
His father played an eclectic mix of folk, traditional jazz and some oldtyme music, recalled Reid. To this day, his father’s 1929 Bacon and Day 5–string banjo is one of Reid’s most cherished instruments.
“Also, my grandmother was a big influence on me,” said Reid. He still plays her guitar, which he completely restored after finding it nearly destroyed by moisture in the basement. “It sings wonderfully now.”
Reid moved to Toronto at age 17 to take up a cabinet-making apprenticeship and “seek adventures.”
It was while playing in the coffee houses and pubs of Toronto that Reid’s performing career began to take root.
“I got my feet wet in the bars . . . . It wasn’t until I got to Toronto that I discovered that people would pay to hear you play.”
An emerging singer-songwriter and trained cabinet maker, Reid began building his first guitar — an electric bass — on his lunch hour while working in the city.
In the late 60s, Reid played and toured with the group Brannigan’s Boys. For their 1969 album he wrote his most recognized and recorded song, My Green Valleys. This track would later be recorded over 30 times by artists from around the world, including the Irish Rovers.
It was also while playing the Toronto clubs that Reid met up with the legendary blind singer and guitarist Fred McKenna.
McKenna introduced Reid to the highly popular CBC program Singalong Jubilee. This launched Reid into his foray with variety television, as he became a weekly player in the house band and was a frequent feature performer. Reid went on to work as assistant music director for the Harry Hibbs and George Hamilton IV shows. He even became a regular performer on John Allan Cameron’s Let’s Have A Caleigh for a season.
As variety television lost popularity, Reid returned to song writing and recording.
His first album, Hard Rock Miner (1978) featured entirely original material.
In the early 80s, after having lived in Toronto for 20 years, Reid returned to the Burk’s Falls area, where he had purchased his family’s farm.
“I was tired of living in the rat race down there,” he said of the city.
Alluding to his battle with alcoholism at the time, Reid said “(Alcohol) can rob you of so much - musically, mentally and spiritually . . . . I took the geographical cure.”
In 1986 Reid “put the plug in the jug.” He’s been sober since, for over 20 years.
When Reid initially returned to Burk’s Falls he did away with music altogether. He’d found that music and alcohol had gone hand in hand for so long that he couldn’t stomach one without the other.
“It was my good friend Rick Fielding who convinced me to get back into music,” said Reid.
After a three-year hiatus he picked up the guitar again. Never one to do things half-heartedly, Reid launched into his most successful years as a singersongwriter and luthier.
He went onto produce three new CDs – Heritage River (1995), Wildcats Howlin’ (1999) and his most recent release, Dusty Ol’ Denim (2007).
Comprised of river and logging songs, Heritage River was far more than just a CD to Reid.
“It was a celebration and a vehicle to get a river boat replicate going on the (Magnetawan) River,” said Reid. “We could have had a thriving river boat tourist industry like they do in Muskoka.”
An extension of the river boat project — which was never realized — was the annual Heritage River Festival. The event was held in Burk’s Falls until it evolved into the Almaguin Music Festival, which ran out of Sundridge.
Reid spearheaded the festival, which attracted “a good lineup of talent from all over the country.” Hundreds of people would descend on Burk’s Falls to enjoy the weekend-long festival. “It put the area on the map,” said Reid.
Unfortunately, local support wasn’t enough to sustain the costs the event incurred. In 2003 the festival folded.
In between producing new CDs, organizing festivals and teaching private music lessons, Reid has become an increasingly sought-after luthier. The self-taught craftsman credits his experience as a musician for his ability to build quality instruments that really sing.
“Being a musician I know what I want in an instrument, and plenty of other musicians agree.”
Contemporary country music star Emmylou Harris is just one of Reid’s more notable customers. She has been playing on a Reid-line baritone guitar for years.
“Most pros want a custom-built instrument . . . .and it’s nice to have a superstar play your instruments,” said Reid.
A no-frills stock guitar takes about 50 hours to make, said Reid, who typically crafts six to eight guitars a year. However, a customer might have to wait up to a year, considering that the time for drying has to be factored in.
“It really is a labour of love,” said Reid, who meticulously assembles each instrument. “They each have their own personality . . . their own quirks and such . . . . And then, like children, you send them out into the great wide world and once in a while you get to see what they’re doing.”
To learn more about Reid’s work as a singersongwriter, music teacher and luthier, or to order a copy of his latest CD visit www.glenreid.com.