Halifax’s Brian Ahern, who produced albums by Anne Murray and Johnny Cash, dead at 81

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A Halifax-born music producer who played a big role in helping encourage fellow Bluenoser Anne Murray to pursue a career in music and later produced albums by artists such as…

A Halifax-born music producer who played a big role in helping encourage fellow Bluenoser Anne Murray to pursue a career in music and later produced albums by artists such as Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris is being remembered for the mark he left on the music industry.

Murray said she met Ahern when she auditioned for Singalong Jubilee, a CBC television program featuring local artists in Halifax that ran in the 1960s and 1970s. Ahern was the musical producer on the show. Murray said she did not make the cut the first time she auditioned.

"He wanted me to be on that show," Murray told CBC Wednesday. "And that's where it all started with Brian."

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

Ahern later moved to Toronto, while Murray remained on the East Coast working as a teacher. She did not feel ready to become a full-time musician, but Ahern kept pushing her.

"He was at me, writing letters, begging me to come to Toronto to do an album. Well, I couldn't see the point in that at all," said Murray with a laugh. "Finally, I gave in and I gave up teaching and went to Toronto and we did an album together."

"And sometimes you have to read his mind ... but he taught me a lot in the studio," said Murray. "I learned a lot from him as he was learning too, but he was so smart that he got to the point pretty quickly."

They faced many challenges together. When Murray arrived in Toronto, she said Ahern had "no money" and that she had to get his guitar back using money made from teaching before they could record in a studio.

"We kind of cut our teeth and grew up in the music business together," said Murray.

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