Johnny Reid didn't know what to expect when his parents told him they would be moving across the ocean to Toronto.

"I thought Toronto was in Spain," quips the Scottish-born country crooner, who relocated to Canada in 1988 when he was 16 years old.

"I thought, 'That sounds nice.' But it was quite a culture shock. I remember my mother had us wrapped up in scarves and jackets at Toronto Pearson Airport -- it was July."

Reid says his father felt Canada offered better opportunities for him and his siblings than Scotland, although there were times when the family second guessed his decision.

"My dad was a bit worried about how we would cope," Reid recalls. "But I've received a lot of validation over the past few years that my parents made the best decision to move here."

That validation includes 12 Top 20 country singles, two platinum albums and a Canadian Country Music Association award for Male Artist of the Year.

"I'm living proof that if you have a dream in Canada you can make it if you stick with it," he says.

The ebullient singer and songwriter has also garnered six nominations for this year's CCMA Awards, including Male Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Fans' Choice and Album of the Year for his hot-selling latest CD, Dance With Me.

"I had an incredible year last year and this year exceeded expectation," says Reid, whose fans are dubbed The Tartan Army.

"I knew I was probably going to have a top-selling record, but it's been better than I imagined. It's an incredible feeling."

Now based in Nashville, Reid says he believes part of his appeal is due to his sound and performances being firmly rooted in traditional soul music.

"I was originally inspired by people like Solomon Burke and Wilson Pickett," he explains. "But I've been embraced by the country music community because I think they relate and react to the morality, the heart and soul and the storytelling in my music."

The 2009 CCMAs air Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBC.