Christmas Eve, a tragic car accident, a young life taken — it’s the kind of story that can break your heart.

Or, as Johnny Reid puts it, “makes you feel like (your) insides have been torn out.”

The country performer had the unfortunate experience this holiday season, when he was given news one of his fan club members — part of his Tartan Army — had suffered the fate. Subsequently, he also received news his hit single Missing An Angel had been played at the 21-year-old’s memorial.

“It’s makes me feel humble,” the Scottish-born, Canadian-raised, Nashville-based Reid says. “I’m very humbled by it because there are not a lot of people that get the chance to affect other people’s lives …

“My songs are just wee parts of my soul and for someone to connect themselves to my soul and then be taken away, it’s pretty heavy.”

More and more people are connecting to the personable performer these days thanks to the success of his disc Born To Roll.

The album of self-penned material earned Reid a 2005 CCMA nomination for Rising Star of the Year and, thanks to the hit You Still Own Me, a CCMA award for Independent Song of the Year.

It also helped him gain an opening spot on the upcoming Brad Paisley and Terri Clark tour early next year.

“It’s going to be incredible, just the chance to sing for that many people, it’s cool,” he says.

And while that tour will unfortunately skip over our city, local fans can get their fix of Reid when he performs a New Year’s show tomorrow night at the Ranchman’s.

For his part, the performer is also looking forward to spending some more time in this region — an area he only really discovered earlier this year, but one that has warmed to his earnest, thoughtful blue-collar country as if he were one of us.

“In one year,” he says, “I’ve sold more records in Alberta than I have anywhere else.”