A music producer from Halifax, instrumental in encouraging Anne Murray, a fellow Nova Scotian, to follow her musical aspirations, and who later produced albums for renowned artists like Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, is being honored for his significant contributions to the music world.
Brian Ahern passed away at the age of 81 on Monday in Minnesota.
Murray recalled first meeting Ahern during her audition for Singalong Jubilee, a CBC TV show that showcased local talent in Halifax during the 1960s and 1970s. Ahern served as the musical producer for the program. Murray did not succeed in her initial audition.
“He wanted me to be part of that show,” Murray shared with CBC on Wednesday. “That’s where my journey with Brian began.”
She received another opportunity to audition two years later and was accepted.
Anne Murray of Springhill, N.S., is shown in a 1971 photo. (The Canadian Press)
Eventually, Ahern relocated to Toronto, while Murray stayed in the East, working as a teacher. She felt unprepared to transition into a full-time music career, but Ahern persistently encouraged her.
“He would write me letters, pleading for me to come to Toronto and record an album. At first, I couldn’t see the purpose in that,” Murray laughed. “In the end, I relented, left teaching, and went to Toronto, where we created an album together.”
She described him as a reserved individual, referring to him as an exceptionally talented musician.
“You often had to read his mind… but he taught me immensely in the studio,” Murray noted. “I learned a great deal from him, and he was learning too, but he was so intelligent that he grasped concepts quickly.”
They encountered numerous obstacles along the way. Upon her arrival in Toronto, Murray mentioned that Ahern had “no funds,” necessitating her to retrieve his guitar using her teaching earnings before they could enter a recording studio.
Brian Ahern accepts a lifetime achievement award for producer/engineer during The Americana Music Awards in Nashville on Sept. 9, 2010. (The Associated Press)
“We kind of learned the ropes and matured together in the music industry,” Murray stated.
Her breakout hit, Snowbird, from the 1969 album This Way Is My Way, was among the 13 albums Ahern produced for her, according to the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Murray reflected that while they “parted ways, both of us achieved greater success.”
From left: Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris and Brian Ahern perform on Nov. 18, 2013, in Nashville. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Ahern’s career also took him to Los Angeles and Nashville, where he produced albums for artists such as George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, and Rodney Crowell. He produced 11 albums for Emmylou Harris, whom he married in 1974.
The last occasion Murray saw Ahern was at his induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
“Brian’s faith in my talent was enough to help me through those formative years,” Murray shared as she introduced Ahern on stage.
In 2010, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association and was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2019.
Following his passing, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum released a statement honoring Ahern’s contributions, stating his work “helped forge a vital genre of American roots music” and “set the stage for Americana music in the 1990s.”
Ahern was a ‘steward of the artistic process’
Ahern’s daughters, Shannon and Meghann, reminisced about their childhood experiences of sleeping in recording studios while their father was at work.
“He would take us everywhere, even creating a human-sized dollhouse out of studio baffles (soundproofing equipment) for me to play in quietly while he worked,” Shannon recalled.
They characterized him as a “steward of the artistic process,” emphasizing his commitment to helping artists reach their full creative potential.
“I saw him collaborating with talented musicians, and I understood that my dad was making art with them,” Meghann said. “That shaped my understanding that art is important, but it also requires hard work, dedication, and commitment.”
MORE TOP STORIES
-
‘Poignant’ Halifax Remembrance Day ceremony comes soon after Wainwright tragedy
-
What’s open, closed around Halifax for Remembrance Day
-
Website saves Royal Canadian Navy history from being ‘buried forever’
-
Why the first U-boat to surrender in North America landed in this N.S. town
-
Data centre proponent says they’ll take no public money