Wil Reid

One time when Wil Reid was about fourteen years old, his buddies (Langdon included), dared him to take up collection in the church with a mask on his face. It only took Wil about two seconds to decide that he would. It was youth Sunday and five young men entered the sanctuary with the leader, Wil, wearing a rubberized mask of Stan Laurel. Then he sat in the front pew waiting for his buddies to return, never taking the mask off until they exited the church. There was never any doubt that Wil wanted to be an entertainer.

One time when someone asked Wil what his passions were in life, he responded immediately with, “I’m not sure about passions and interests and all that fluffy stuff, but I do know that when I was 4 ½ years old I wanted my name to be Raymond Burr.”  If this seems just a bit off-centered, then you know exactly what it’s like to hang out with Wil; always anticipating the unpredictable!  This personality parallels Big Daddy’s, too.  He compromises the silly and intelligent, all the while making anything he says believable and unbelievable!  Big Daddy explains why we should all be more like the wise men from the Bible while wearing a John Deere Green Santa suit.  Told you he’s unpredictable!

Wil was born on March 25, 1973 in Staunton, Virginia to a famous country music star and a Deerfield daisy. Wil’s dad is Harold Reid of the legendary Statler Brothers and his mom, Brenda, is famous for raising five kids and her railroad money. 

Growing up in a musical family, Wil’s dad had taught him three chords on the guitar by the time he was five years old. And with his trusty cousin and inseparable friend, Langdon Reid, it wasn’t long until the two of them would head out on their musical journey. Starting in church, Wil and Langdon began cutting their teeth on singing and playing music and by the time they were in Robert E. Lee high school, they formed a group named Grandstaff.

From high school until now, pursuing a music career has always been his first priority, but Wil has led a pretty ‘small town’ style of life. He played two years of varsity football, he’s always loved the outdoors and riding ATVs and he attended college in his hometown, earning his degree in Communications from Mary Baldwin College through their Adult Degree Program.  While working part-time jobs and playing music wherever he could, again, he still knew he wanted to be an entertainer.

The first song Wil wrote, ”Dynamite”, was recorded by the Statler Brothers.  This is all it took!  He teamed up with cousin Langdon and the two future songwriters wrote “What We Love To Do” on a napkin while riding in a car through West Virginia. The Statler Brothers heard it and released the song as a single.  This taste of encouragement sent them searching for their own record deal and that happened in 2002 when their national debut CD, Circles, hit the market.  Grandstaff toured the nation performing concerts, performed regular spots on "The Statler Brothers Show" and have been on XM Satellite Radio numerous times.

But the real accomplishments are at home. Wil loves to be at home with his lovely wife Layla and their three children: Lexi, Wilson and Jackson. When he’s not writing or on the stage you can bet he’s in the front yard entertainin’ with his family.