Bluegrass, banjos and babies
Julie Kerr and Craig Korth prove that fairytales come true if you’ve got the music
Their "how we met" story is sautéed in a decidedly "he said-she said" flavour. He claims they met when his band, Jerusalem Ridge, was playing at a church. She argues that she went to see them at a community centre. He’s sure his friend Bill introduced them. She insists it was Tom. He thought she was a nun. She had a terrible cold. But whatever the circumstances, one cannot argue with the outcome, which is very pleasant indeed.
Less than five years later, singer Julie Kerr is bouncing their four-month-old daughter Amy, while her husband Craig Korth coos with their first daughter, the two-year-old Ella, nearby. The couple has also recently given birth to two bouncing bluegrass-inflected albums – Korth's Bankview and Kerr's Mornings Like These – making their nearly five years together satisfyingly fruitful. The fact that his life now consists completely of his two favourite things – raising his children and playing his music – makes Korth consider his situation to be the stuff dreams and fairy tales are made of.
And for Korth, who took up banjo at the age of 12 because his momma always liked the sound, none of this fairy tale is accidental, whether it's the clean, sweet sound of their music or the fact he ended up married to Kerr.
"I saw you come in with Bill, and I ran down so he’d introduce me. I saw her walk in," he says with a smile.
OK, cute guy salivates for cute chick. It’s an age-old story. So, where’d this "nun" thing come from? Kerr laughs and responds: "There’s a whole religious element to bluegrass, a kind of a Christian gospel thing – not my thing, but it’s great, and I wanted to learn. So I’m hanging out with all these people. I think he thought I was more saintly than I am."
Korth was delighted to find out that he would be seeing Kerr a few weeks later when they were both playing the Wintergrass Festival in Tacoma, Washington. He hung out with her the whole time, then didn’t see her for another six months. That summer, he was often invited to jam in Sorrento, the home of Shuswap bluegrass. On a hunch, he asked the organizer whether the name Julie Kerr appeared on any of the workshop class lists, and was pleased when he learned that it did.
"I was dating this gal – we only dated for a couple of months and... I broke up with her when I found out Julie was going to be there. I had thought about (Julie) for six months. I drove over to (the girlfriend’s) house and said ‘I’m breaking up with you’ and drove on to B.C. A week later, I asked Julie to marry me and we got married a year later."
And just as he had taken no chance on blowing his romance, Korth stacked the deck for his album as well. For starters, his musical pedigree included playing the Edmonton and Canmore Folk Music Festivals with River City Ramblers, his first original band. After hanging up that idea for a few years, he became a founding member of Jerusalem Ridge in 1989. He had experience in rock bands, both as a drummer and a guitar player. To top it off, his job as an Edmonton fireman gave him plenty of time to sit around, strum and write songs.
In pursuing Kerr for a mate, he chose a woman whose musical background ranged from junior high school violin player to vocal and musical contributions for the unique tongue-in-cheek roots sound of Great Uncle Bull. As well, Kerr had spent long stretches in the bush as a cook on the oil rigs before she met Korth. The job gave her plenty of time to write and sing her own songs.
Last year, as a final touch, Korth added the highest quality seasoning. When John Reischman (The Jaybirds) was at Sorrento, Korth casually remarked that he would like the bluegrass legend to contribute his talents to a hypothetical album. Last fall, Reischman showed up with his bassist and guitarist in tow. While they were at it, Korth figured they may as well tackle Kerr’s album, too.
More musical talent was added to the recipe when Korth was introduced to Ronnie Hayward and Billy Cowsill, eventually forming a trio with them about five years back.
"I had a business where I made guitars, and Billy had a guitar – Rosie – that needed a lot of work," Korth says. "I ended up agreeing to do a neck reset if he would sing on our albums."
The whole is much greater than the sum of the parts, especially on these two albums, each of which showcases one of the spouses with deft musicianship and fresh riffs. Having produced four masterpieces (two children and two albums) in under five years, Kerr is clear about what she hopes the future will hold.
"Craig and I got pregnant on our honeymoon, had a baby, had another one and put out two albums the same week that Amy was born.
"We’ve spent the time in the studio – now I want to get out and play. After staying home and having babies, I want to get out and have some fun. Not that having babies isn’t fun...."
And in this fairy-tale life of romance and music in which she stars, it’s likely that Kerr’s desires will bend the unwritten future to her will. |
