Country star Johnny Reid will always have a soft spot for Winnipeg.

And really, who can blame him? When he was last here in September, the former Ontario (by way of Scotland) resident picked up a Canadian Country Music Award for male artist of the year, one of only two categories (the other being female artist) that weren't swept by local boys Doc Walker.

And while the Doc Walker crew's frequent trips to the podium rendered them a bit blase backstage, Reid's remarks to the media were steeped in grace and grateful emotion.

"Needless to say, wherever you travel in the world, you always remember places by the things that happened there," says Reid, 34, from a tour stop in Lloydminister, Alta. "I'll forever remember Winnipeg because it had been a goal of mine to win male artist many years ago, and to be able to win it in Winnipeg was a very humbling experience. It really did touch me and I was taken aback, not only that Winnipeg gave that to me, but also Canada, the place I came to so many years ago seeking opportunities."

Luckily, Reid had the perfect song up his sleeve to convey his appreciation. But while the ballad Thank You (from his 2007 disc Kicking Stones) might seem tailor-made for award show performances, Reid actually wrote it as a love song to his wife, after forgetting to get a Valentine's Day gift a few years back.

"I pulled into a Walgreens where there were 32 other guys in the same boat as me, but instead of fighting them for a Valentine's card, I just grabbed the first Thank You card," says the singer, in his unmistakable Scottish brogue. "I sat in my driveway, scrounged around until I found a pen, and opened the card, which just said Thank You inside. So I started listing all the things I was thankful for. And a few days later, it dawned on me that the song I'd been searching for all these years had found me."

Since its release, the song has sparked countless encounters between Reid and his fans (affectionately known as the Tartan Army), who like to relate their own interpretations of the tune or explain how they've appropriated it for other uses.

"These songs are written for one reason -- it's a wee bit of therapy for me, whether it's to laugh, dance or cry," says Reid, who grew up north of Glasgow before moving to Toronto as a teen. "So when I get a song like Thank You, which was a love song for me, when I hear it's being played at someone's memorial, or a father's first dance with his daughter at her wedding, or in remembrance of someone's animal, it's an incredibly humbling experience. It amazes me that so many people can find so much comfort in music."

Having spent the last seven years in Nashville (he moved there just before his debut disc Born to Roll), Reid knows a thing or two about blue-collar charms. He guesses it's his everyman quality -- "I'm just myself, mate," he says disarmingly -- that's struck such a chord with audiences, noting even non-country listeners often identify themselves as fans.

On his third album -- due out in March -- Reid hopes to keep that connection alive, via more upbeat, Van Morrison-inspired numbers, heartfelt ballads, and the occasional song of remembrance.

"I just lost a dear friend of mine 15 months ago," says Reid of one tune. "I got him when he was a puppy. He was my best mate, and I lost him, so I wrote a song called My Old Friend. I'd have to be a fool to believe I'm the only one who feels the way I feel about things sometimes. I think that's what really connects me to the rest of the country."