A music producer hailing from Halifax, who significantly influenced fellow Bluenoser Anne Murray’s decision to embark on a music career and later produced albums for iconic artists like Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, is being honored for his contributions to the music scene.
Brian Ahern, aged 81, passed away on Monday in Minnesota.
Murray recounted her first encounter with Ahern during her audition for Singalong Jubilee, a CBC television show that showcased local talent in Halifax throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Ahern was the show’s musical producer, and Murray did not succeed in her initial audition.
“He was eager for me to be part of that show,” Murray shared with CBC on Wednesday. “That’s where my journey with Brian began.”
Two years later, she received another invitation to audition, which she successfully completed.
Anne Murray of Springhill, N.S., is shown in a 1971 photo. (The Canadian Press)
Ahern then relocated to Toronto, while Murray continued her teaching career on the East Coast. Although she was not ready to commit to full-time music, Ahern persistently encouraged her.
“He was always writing to me, urging me to come to Toronto to record an album. I just couldn’t see the value in it,” Murray recalled with a chuckle. “Eventually, I relented, left teaching, and headed to Toronto, where we recorded an album together.”
She described him as a reserved individual and praised him as a remarkable musician.
“Sometimes you had to decipher his thoughts… but he was an incredible teacher in the studio,” Murray noted. “I learned so much from him, and he was also learning, but he was so intelligent that he quickly grasped essential concepts.”
The duo faced numerous obstacles along the way. Upon her arrival in Toronto, Murray found that Ahern was “broke,” and she had to use her teaching income to retrieve his guitar before they could start recording.
Brian Ahern accepts a lifetime achievement award for producer/engineer during The Americana Music Awards in Nashville on Sept. 9, 2010. (The Associated Press)
<p"We kind of grew up and learned the music business together," Murray stated.
His production of her breakthrough song, Snowbird, from the album This Way Is My Way released in 1969, was among the 13 albums he produced for her, as noted by the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Murray reflected that although they “went [their] separate paths, [they] both achieved great things.”
From left: Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris and Brian Ahern perform on Nov. 18, 2013, in Nashville. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Ahern’s career also led him to work in cities like Los Angeles and Nashville. He produced albums for renowned artists including George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, and Rodney Crowell, and worked on 11 albums for Emmylou Harris, whom he married in 1974.
The last time Murray saw Ahern face-to-face was during his induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
“Brian’s belief in my abilities carried me through those formative years,” Murray said as she introduced Ahern at the event.
In 2010, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association and was honored as a member of the Order of Canada in 2019.
Following his passing, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum remarked that Ahern’s contributions “helped shape a vital genre of American roots music” and provided a “framework for Americana music in the 1990s.”
Ahern was a ‘steward of the artistic process’
Shannon and Meghann Ahern, his daughters, shared cherished memories of spending time in recording studios as children while their father was working.
“He would take us everywhere, and he even constructed a human-sized dollhouse out of studio baffles (soundproofing materials), so I could play and remain quiet while he worked,” Shannon Ahern recalled.
They characterized him as a “steward of the artistic process,” emphasizing his dedication to helping artists achieve their maximum creative potential.
“These were individuals I recognized as talented musicians, and my dad was collaborating artistically with them,” Meghann Ahern expressed. “That was my upbringing; I understood that art was significant, but it also demanded a strong work ethic, commitment, and dedication.”