Billy Reid On LSU Football, His Grandma's Fried Chicken, And Southern Hospitality

About Billy Reid

Billy Reid was born and raised in Amite, Louisiana, but he’s called Florence, Alabama, home for more than 20 years now. It’s there that he opened his first shop, which was designed to feel like a Southern home, much in the way his mother had done with her own boutique years before. Since then, Billy has opened his eponymous stores all over the South and beyond, filling them with antiques, family photographs, great music, and his distinctive brand of Southern hospitality.

What Billy Reid Talks About In This Episode

• Moving to Florence, Alabama
• Growing up in Amite, Louisiana
• His mom's clothing store
• Being proud to be from Louisiana
• His grandmother's cooking and her famous fried chicken
• Being a diehard LSU fan
• Making his customers feel like they're at home
• Muscle Shoals documentary
• His wife being an Auburn alum and fan
• His tailgate traditions
• Hosting Shindig and his passion for music

Quotes From Billy Reid

"It's hot all the time. It rains a lot. The food is great. The people are interesting. But it's still...home to me, and there's a lot of things I miss about it, for sure. My parents made me very proud to be from Louisiana." - Billy Reid

"I was in New York with my company before 9/11, and then we lost everything and moved here to kind of regroup and restart. And a lot of that was because I wanted to be back down South. I love New York, but I wanted to be able to raise my kids in a small town, the way I grew up. I wanted to know I could get in my Jeep, and be out in the woods in 15 minutes. Those are things that I love. I don't know if those are Southern things, or just wanting to be closer to family and closer to your roots. But once we got here and as we started Billy Reid, after losing the business and restarting, it was definitely more personal...And knowing we were different for a fashion house to be based in Florence, Alabama... Not New York, or Milan, or Paris. But I felt like that separated us. But I also felt like it put a lot of pressure on us to be the beacon of good. I always wanted to represent Alabama, the South, in the most positive way, no matter what it was." - Billy Reid

About Biscuits & Jam

In the South, talking about food is personal. It's a way of sharing your history, your family, your culture, and yourself. Each week Sid Evans, editor in chief of Southern Living, sits down with celebrity musicians to hear stories of how they grew up, what inspired them, and how they've been shaped by Southern culture. Sid takes us back to some of their most cherished memories and traditions, the family meals they still think about, and their favorite places to eat on the road. Download and listen to this episode of Biscuits & Jam with Billy Reid on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or everywhere podcasts are available.

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors