A music producer from Halifax, who significantly influenced Anne Murray’s decision to pursue a musical career and later produced albums for renowned artists like Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, is being honored for his contributions to the music industry.

Brian Ahern, aged 81, passed away on Monday in Minnesota.

Murray recounted that she first met Ahern while auditioning for Singalong Jubilee, a CBC television show showcasing local talent in Halifax during the 1960s and 1970s. Ahern served as the musical producer for the program. Murray mentioned that she was not selected during her initial audition.

“He wanted me to be on that show,” Murray shared with CBC on Wednesday. “That’s where everything began with Brian.”

She was invited back for another audition two years later and was successful.

Anne Murray of Springhill, N.S., is shown in a 1971 photo. (The Canadian Press)

Ahern subsequently relocated to Toronto, while Murray continued her teaching career on the East Coast. She did not feel prepared to transition to a full-time music career, but Ahern persistently encouraged her.

“He kept sending me letters, urging me to come to Toronto to record an album. I honestly couldn’t see the point,” Murray laughed. “Eventually, I relented, left teaching, and went to Toronto, where we recorded an album together.”

Murray described him as a soft-spoken individual and praised him as an exceptional musician.

“Sometimes you had to read his mind… but he taught me a great deal in the studio,” Murray stated. “We both learned a lot, but he was so intelligent that he grasped things quickly.”

They encountered numerous obstacles together. Upon her arrival in Toronto, Murray noted that Ahern had “no money,” and she had 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 essentially grew up in the music industry together,” Murray reflected.

Ahern produced 13 albums for Murray, including her breakout hit, Snowbird, from the 1969 album This Way Is My Way, as recognized by the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

Murray noted that although they “went [their] separate ways, [they] both achieved greater 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 took him to cities like Los Angeles and Nashville. He produced albums for artists such as George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, and Rodney Crowell, as well as 11 albums for Emmylou Harris, whom he married in 1974.

The last occasion Murray met Ahern in person was during his induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

“Brian’s faith in my talents helped me navigate those formative years,” Murray recalled as she introduced Ahern on stage.

In 2010, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association and was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2019.

Following his passing, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum released a statement noting that Ahern’s contributions “helped shape a vital segment of American roots music” and provided “a foundation for Americana music in the 1990s.”

Ahern was a ‘steward of the artistic process’

Shannon and Meghann Ahern, his daughters, shared cherished memories of sleeping in recording studios as children while their father worked.

“He would take us everywhere, and he even created a life-sized dollhouse for me out of studio baffles (soundproofing equipment), so I had a way to play quietly while he worked,” Shannon Ahern recounted.

They characterized him as a “steward of the artistic process” who diligently ensured that artists could achieve their full creative expression.

“I recognized that the artists my dad collaborated with were immensely talented musicians, and that he was creating art with them,” Meghann Ahern reflected. “This shaped my understanding that art is valuable, but it also demands a strong work ethic and commitment.”

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