Reid was one of the most accomplished young fiddlers to emerge from the Gaelic folk revival of the late 90s and early 00s. Raised in the northerly Shetland Islands, she began playing at the age of nine and by her early teens was appearing live with her sister Bethany in the Shetland band Filska. Reid also made her recording debut with Filska during this period and was a regular winner at the Shetlands Young Fiddler Of The Year Competition. She continued to work with Filska while furthering her musical education at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, studying both the fiddle and classical piano and learning to sing. In 2000 she joined the (then) all-female Gaelic folk band Dòchas and continued to tour and record with them throughout the early part of the decade. During this period she also worked with Filska and the Scottish bands Deaf Shepherd and Fiddlers’ Bid. Her 2005 solo debut, With Silver & All, featured exciting interpretations of traditional material alongside two impressive original tracks (‘The 50th Fling’ and ‘Summer Island March’). The musicians accompanying her on the album were Harris Playfair (piano), Kevin MacKenzie (guitar), Duncan Lyall (double bass) and Paul Jennings (percussion).