Fanfare For Wilkinsons
This Canadian trio is clearly on its way to superstardom
Mike Ross (Calgary Sun) - June 13, 1999

The success story of the Wilkinsons is like a country song in itself.

It could go something like this: "Well, we got two kids who sing like birds/got a big dream, all we need is the words/so we moved down to Nashville, don't you knock it/we made it big with only 26 cents in our pocket."

Of course, the 26 Cents in question is the title of a catchy little number that became a huge hit mere weeks after this Ontario family made the move. Every single record company based in Nashville made an offer.

Helped by the fact that a family band is just the kind of wholesome act that country fans adore, the Wilkinsons have been welcomed with open arms by the "little town" that is Music Row. The group is up for two awards at tomorrow's TNN/Music City News Awards. Along with today's celebrity softball game, it's the kick-off to a strange phenomenon known as Fan Fair. More than 25,000 people from all over the world are expected to make the pilgrimage to Nashville this week - to buy merchandise, to visit the mother source of all commercial country music and stand in line for hours in hopes of snapping a picture or getting the autograph of their favourite star. It's a yearly communion or sorts, unique to country music, between the stars and their loyal fans.

On the phone from home, father Steve Wilkinson says he, 17-year-old Amanda and 15-year-old Tyler will do their country duty and sign autographs for a minimum six hours per day. Legend has it that Garth Brooks once signed his John Henry for 26 hours straight.

"It's like Disney World or something," Wilkinson describes the craziness of Fan Fair. "It's incredibly strange that people endure these days in heat and humidity, but as I said to the kids, as long as people want to stand in line and wait for autographs, I'm willing to sit there and drink bottled water and sign it for them.

"The stars that impress me the most are the ones that have had success and still know what side their bread is buttered on. If it wasn't for fans, they wouldn't have a job.

"With country music probably more than any other style of music, the fans really like to feel like they're part of what's going on with the artists. They want to make that connection as close and as personal as you can get. With rock, other than groupies or an entourage that hangs on every word a rock artist says or does, that doesn't happen. With country, fans tend to want to feel like they know and have a vested interest in everything you do. I think that's why Fan Fair succeeds."

Wilkinson's been living in Nashville for less than two years and he's already got a twang in his voice. So do his kids. One can't help but absorb the accent of the Deep South, which is and always has been the voice of American country music. But the Wilkinsons is a Canadian band. Do they fear losing their identity? It's been said by at least one pundit there is no such thing as "Canadian country music," since it all basically sounds the same in the end. The Twang is that powerful.

"Somehow, Canadian country music has been intertwined with U.S. country for as long as country's been around," Wilkinson says. "Look at the old Hank Snow classic, I'm Movin' On. It doesn't sound like a Canadian artist. And on Wilf Carter albums, you can really hear the American influence in what goes on, and it still continues today, to lesser or greater degrees depending on the artist."

Canadian country is more diverse, he adds. The two major radio stations in Nashville don't play old-style Western music, they don't play Americana (Steve Earle or John Prine, for instance), and they don't play Celtic music - all of which you can hear in abundance in Canada. On the other hand, artists who fall into those categories don't tend to move to Nashville and score huge hits on country radio (not necessarily in that order).

It's a dilemma, but the Wilkinsons are clearly too busy to worry about it. Not only is the group on its way to superstardom, Steve and his wife have two teenage kids to deal with. That's like two full-time jobs in one.

"The thing is, we're a really close family," Wilkinson says. "My wife and I started early, raising our kids. Some parents will marvel at the fact that their kids become insane at 12 years old and they can't do a thing with them. We started trying to do it right when the kids were infants. I'm confident in in the fact if I wasn't around, my kids are mature enough to handle themselves. I know they wouldn't go crazy."