Some artists spend a lifetime chasing the perfect song. Rusty Reid has spent a lifetime chasing something even greater, the truth that great songs never lose their power, no matter how much time passes. From the wide-open landscapes of West Texas, where legendary storytellers like Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison left an undeniable musical legacy, to the creative solitude of the Pacific Northwest, Reid’s journey has been one of persistence, reinvention, and an unwavering commitment to authentic songwriting.
His career has taken him through Houston, Nashville, Los Angeles, and Seattle, with each chapter adding another layer to his artistic identity. Along the way, he balanced life as a musician with a successful career as a sports writer and editor, experienced moments when music had to take a back seat, and ultimately rediscovered his passion by building a home studio and returning to the craft that had always defined him. Rather than allowing time or setbacks to diminish his creative ambitions, Reid transformed decades of experience into songs that blend folk, country, rock, and thoughtful lyricism with remarkable sincerity.
His latest project, Lone Stardust: Masterworks of Texas Songwriters, is far more than a tribute album. It is a heartfelt celebration of the writers who have shaped Texas’ extraordinary musical heritage, mixing iconic names with overlooked gems that deserve a wider audience. Among its standout moments is “Alchemist,” a beautifully introspective interpretation of Zack Kibodeaux’s songwriting that explores the universal pursuit of turning life’s uncertainties into something meaningful. The track also highlights Reid’s creative partnership with Mumbai-based multi-instrumentalist Rohit Bhusan, proving that genuine musical chemistry can flourish across continents.
Throughout this conversation, Rusty Reid reflects on the winding road that has defined his career, the lessons learned from decades of songwriting, the inspiration behind Lone Stardust, and why collaboration, curiosity, and perseverance continue to fuel his creativity. With refreshing honesty, warmth, and the perspective of someone who has lived every word he writes, Reid offers an insightful look into the mind of a songwriter who believes music should do more than entertain. He believes it should make us think, feel, and see the world a little differently.
For readers discovering your music for the first time, can you introduce yourself and share how your journey from Texas to the Pacific Northwest has influenced your sound and songwriting?
Hi Danny, and thanks for the interview. Yes, I’m originally from West Texas, home of many notable singer-songwriters such as Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Mac Davis and quite a few others. I went to college 500 miles away in Houston, where I began my real apprenticeship in songwriting. Way too soon I thought I was ready, so headed to Nashville and later to Los Angeles to become a pro. I had some limited success but ultimately decided to return to college in Houston. I played in bands and recorded a lot of songs. A couple of my albums review those days. Then I moved back to L.A, and began writing more serious material. I got sidetracked by my “day job” in California as a sports writer and editor, so dropped the ball on my music aspirations. Eventually I moved up to the Seattle area, and set up my home studio and commenced making albums. I don’t think my sound or style changed much in the moving around. It’s always been a mix of pop, country and rock. I was open to influences far and wide, and just went with my intuition and taste.
Congratulations on releasing your new single, “Alchemist.” What first drew you to Zack Kibodeaux’s songwriting, and why did you feel this was the right song to become the second single from Lone Stardust: Masterworks of Texas Songwriters?
The new album is Lone Stardust: Masterworks of Texas Songwriters. I didn’t want it to be a just-hits collection of a gathering of the usual suspects of “best Texas songwriters.” I had my own ideas about who’s a great songwriter with a connection to Texas, and wanted to be open to discovering people I hadn’t known about. When I heard Zack’s band Blue Water Highway, I thought this is very promising, and when “Alchemist” came along, that sealed the deal. It’s a very well written song, and I’m pleased and proud to have it featured on the album.
“Alchemist” has a different musical feel compared to some of your previous releases. What inspired you to explore this direction, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Yeah, it has a bit of a mystical mood to it, which is appropriate for the theme: a guy trying to make “gold.” In both of our cases, Zack and I are trying to make gold with our songs. It requires all the same experiments as with classic alchemy: you mix the right and the wrong, make mistakes, start over again, looking for that magic ingredient that will achieve your goal. Hopefully, listeners will enjoy the vibe, and perhaps realize what an alchemist they are in what they are trying to make gold with.
You once again collaborated with Mumbai-based musician Rohit Bhusan on “Alchemist”. How did this creative partnership come together, and what does Rohit bring to your music that makes your collaborations so special?
We met online, and I’ve found Rohit to be a very creative and energizing partner. Even though he’s come up through an entirely different culture, he had much the same taste as me. The details he put into this song are pretty cool. You have to listen to the song a few times for them all to register. There’s this little cymbal zip near the end of the song that gives me a little thrill every time I hear it. There are a few songs on the album, and scattered through my career, where I play all the instruments. But I’d really rather not do that. I love working with other musicians and allowing them the latitude to make the songs theirs, as well as mine.
Recording with collaborators who live on different continents can present unique challenges. How do you manage the creative process across such a long distance, and what have you learned from working together?
Oh, it’s easy these days. I wish we had all of these computer and internet capabilities when I was in my 20s. Thankfully, we have a standard musical format in the WAV file, which can be transferred through the interwebs and arrive at the other end perfectly intact. I sent Rohit my rough guitar and vocal version and he sent back his instrumental files. Then I added my vocals and guitars and we had a finished song.
Lone Stardust: Masterworks of Texas Songwriters celebrates the work of Texas songwriters. What inspired the idea for this album, and how did you decide which songs deserved a place on the project?
I had never thought of the idea before. The plan began to emerge a few years ago after my buddy Steven Beasley (who gets a song on the album as well) came up to visit in order to learn a computer recording program (Apple Logic). We decided to do a couple of test songs. We were going to do a Byrds song, but at the last minute decided we’d do a song called “Roll On Santa Fe” by a friend of ours from back in Houston, Bill Browder. We liked how that one came out. So the next song we did was by another friend of ours, Vince Bell. That song is “All Though My Days” We were happy with that one, too. After Steve left, the idea finally dawned on me: why not a whole album of songs by Texas songwriters? With two in the can, I already had a head start. And I had a blueprint: the album would not be all famous songwriters. Selecting the songs from there became challenging because there were so many to choose from. I had to narrow it down to which songs I loved plus I could sing with conviction. Just as they started this project, “Roll On Santa Fe” and “All Though My Days” lead off this album.
Every artist faces challenges behind the scenes. What has been one of the biggest obstacles you’ve overcome in your musical journey, and what did it teach you?
Well, you usually have to have six things to be successful in pretty much anything: 1) some talent for what you are doing, 2) meeting the right people who will help you, 3) timing, 4) luck, 5) focus and 6) perseverance. Sometimes somebody makes it without some of these requirements, but not many. A sensationally talented and original at something will usually rise to the top, all of these factors falling into place. But most of us are not that type. My downfall was focus and perseverance. I got easily distracted and was easily stalled out by obstacles of any sort. Popular music is a young person’s game. So you’d better be getting close to doing something really good before you’re thirty or so. Stay focused, let negativity run off your back, keep chugging.
Is there a particular song you’ve written or recorded that holds a special place in your heart? What makes it so meaningful to you?
Not any one song, but quite a few of them. Usually songs that in some sense backed up my belief that there Is a good songwriter hiding somewhere in me. “Home One More Time” and “Rio Frio” and “More Than St. John’s” off my Bayou Line album were early songs that I thought proved I could write good songs. So they hold a special place. I like “Our Love’s With You,” also on Bayou Line, not just because it’s for my sister, but it’s one of my best melodies. “Hot as a Pistol” off the Unreasonables album proved I could write a good rock song with a cool signature guitar riff. Off my first album, NWXSW, “Key to the City” and “Earthquake City” are songs I wrote in San Francisco following the earthquake, and they both broadened the scope of themes I had been writing about. With those and “Too Many Poor” I felt like I had entered the category of “serious song” writer.
Another one on NWXSW is “Where Do We Go From Now,” which was written for a philosophical workshop I was involved in. We were to do some kind of art piece integrating the concepts we had discussed, so I wrote a song. From the Head to Heart album, which is my “opus” I would say, are a bunch that I’m really proud of, incluidng “Story of Now,” “The Meaning of Life,” “Ancient Stones,” “Head to Heart,” “Another Way,” “Sat Cit Ananda,” “Eldorado,” “There is a Pleasure,” “Dismaland” are all high points for me; they are all different from each other, but also all very meaningful. Off that album is “To Find Me,” which was the first song I wrote after a long fallow phase. I was beginning to think I was done as a songwriter, and all of sudden here comes out this song, and a flood followed, including those I just mentioned. Then there are the two original singles, “American Villain” and “The United States of Selfishness.” So these are some of my favorite “children.”
If you could collaborate with any artist or songwriter, past or present, who would it be, and what do you think that collaboration would sound like?
I’ve had similar questions before, and I keep changing my mind. This time around I’m gonna go with the Doors. I love that band to this day. They were really a three piece instrumentally, an extra guitar might help here and there. Jim Morrison also had no other vocalist to work with, so very few backup vocals. I could help there, too. Of course it would have to be the new me with the old them. So that’s going to be hard to pull off. I’d probably be kicked out of the band the first day for being too old and mucking up their sound.
With a 19-track album, listeners are in for a substantial musical journey. Are there any songs on the album that hold a particularly personal meaning for you, and why?
Oh, definitely. Basically all of them. The majority of the songs I have a longtime love for. Growing up out in West Texas, we were steeped in Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, so they get songs. I was a huge Glen Campbell fan, and “Galveston” was my favorite song of his. I loved Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” immediately, as almost everyone does. I thought ZZ Top was just the perfect blues-rock band, and “Balinese” was always a favorite. I was enamored by the songwriting of J.D. Souther, so chose “Faithless Love.” “You’ve Got a Lover” was a favorite from our old Houston folk-country-rock scene, as were “Roll On Santa Fe” and “All Through My Days.” “Pancho and Lefty” I think of as the quintessential Texas songwriter’s song. And the newer songs I met up with for this album are now all my babies. I chose them because they resonate with my personal journey, so I’ll always have affection for them, too.
What advice would you give to aspiring singer-songwriters who are just beginning their musical journey and hoping to build a lasting career?
There are all kinds of pathways to success. I didn’t take any of them. So I’m not really the one to offer any advice. If I could talk to my 20-year old self, I’d tell me, “Hey bud, You’re just winging it here. You think you are better than you are. You’re lazy. You never practice. You haven’t properly studied and learned. You’re running around doing all these other things. You’re not focused. You get stymied too easily. You aren’t putting in the work. If you really, really want this, you’d better get your ass in gear and start making it happen.” Of course, my twenty year-old self wouldn’t have listened.
Finally, what do you hope listeners feel after hearing “Alchemist” and experiencing Lone Stardust: Masterworks of Texas Songwriters from beginning to end? Are there any upcoming projects, performances, or future releases you would like to share with your fans?
I selected these songs based upon them having that golden combination of a great theme to work with, an original melody, and lyrics with gravitas. It’s always a plus to have a song that lends itself to interesting arrangement and songscaping. So if a listener is keen, like I am, for those kinds of songs, they’ll find nineteen of them on this album. As, well, that’s the type of songs I try to write, so they might check out my other albums and singles, too. In all of my works I hope I get my listeners to both think and feel something.
While promoting this album, I’m taking a little break from actually doing music and turning toward my other creative expression: essays. I have a pod-home at Medium.com for my those if anyone is interested in reading what crazy liberal ideas I have. I’ll be back next year with a new album, all originals. It’s working title is “Other Lives,” and will have some heavy-hitting songs philosophically and spiritually (not religiously). It kind of picks up on the trajectory of my album Head to Heart. Hope to talk with you again then.
