AN UNLIKELY MUSICIAN
DAVID BEBEE, RECORD STAFF

Read her biography and you might conclude that Juanita Wilkins has no business being a singer/songwriter.

Raised in a strict fundamentalist Christian family, there was little room for secular music when she was a youngster. Later, as a single mother with a full-time job, she had little time for music.

Nonetheless, her will enabled her to find a way to turn her dream into reality.

Wilkins was born in Northern Ontario but moved with her family to the Windham area after her father died. Her mother remarried.

Even though music wasn't encouraged in the family, it wouldn't be denied. "Music was always in my head," she recalls from her home office. "My mother said I could carry a tune at two years of age."

Wilkins left home in her teens.

"As soon as I was old enough, I was gone."

She "married young" and was soon raising three sons on her own while working as an office administer in a bank. Still, music was never far from her mind.

"I played for myself and I kept writing."

When her boys got older, a couple things happened that changed the direction of Wilkins' life.

She attended Wilfrid Laurier University as an adult student, graduating with an honours BA in English.

Then she met Wesley Bates, a master printmaker and book illustrator. For the last seven years, the couple have shared a home, office, studio and art gallery in Clifford.

"It's nice to live with another artist who understands the creative temperament," acknowledges Wilkins. "We have a wonderfully interesting life because of what we do for a living."

With Bates' support, Wilkins left her day job to devote herself to music. "Walking away from my job and finding an audience that gets what I'm doing as an artist have been huge confidence builders."

Wilkins recorded her first of two albums in 2004. With its big Nashville sound, Stronger is a country album with shades of jazz, blues and folk rock.

The album's most striking elements are the quality of songwriting and Wilkins' warm, rich voice which draws comparisons to a young Anne Murray.

Wilkins enjoyed working with Jay Riehl, but she was looking for something a little different for her sophomore release. She contacted James Gordon and he agreed to record the album at his Pipe Street Studio in Guelph.

Co-produced by Gordon and Wilkins, Four Corner Town has more of a stripped-down countryfolk feel.

Wilkins, who handles lead vocals and rhythm guitar, is joined by Bob MacLean on lead guitar and Gordon, along with his sons Evan and Geordie Gordon, among others.

"It was convenient to record the album in Guelph and James became a good friend. He has such a good ear and he's so highly respected by his peers."

Gordon encouraged Wilkins to extend her creative reach by writing songs that are linked thematically as well as sonically. "I learned a lot from James."

Four Corner Town offers an affectionate snapshot of the kind of rural and small-town people Wilkins grew up, not only observing, but caring about. It brings to mind the kind of songs Connie Kaldor writes about small-town life on the prairies.

Wilkins views herself primarily as a storyteller.

"What makes a song important is the story it tells," she observes. "The melody carries the story."

Wilkins officially released the album a couple of weeks ago in Hamilton and will spend a busy fall showcasing it across southwestern Ontario.

She joins MacLean for a concert Saturday at the Woolwich Arms. She's in Guelph tonight, as well, participating in the Take Back the Night events at 6 p.m. in Marianne's Park.

Meanwhile, she hopes to get some gigs in Waterloo Region. "I'm trying to expand my audience base and I'd like to make inroads into Kitchener and Waterloo."

You don't have to talk to Wilkins for more than a couple of minutes to realize she is an artist who is where she was meant to be.

"I've waited my whole life to do this. I've worked hard to get here and I feel so fortunate and grateful.

"A lot of people go to jobs every day they hate. Sometimes I give myself a little pinch. I don't think life gets any better."

rreid@therecord.com