Georgette Fry approached the recording of her first CD, "Rites Of Passage," with both confidence and trepidation. Confidence, knowing she'd hand-picked some of Canada's finest to provide support, and that her material - a mix of originals and covers - accurately reflected her own eclectic tastes. Trepidation because, without label backing, "Who knew if there'd be another one?"

She needn't have feared. "Rites Of Passage" was nominated for a Juno in 1995 for "Best Blues/Gospel" category, and she's since followed it up with "Georgette Fry Live" in 1997, originally recorded by the CBC for broadcast on Holger Peterson's "Saturday Night Blues" show and subsequently deemed too good not to release. Her newest, "Let Me Drive," another mixed bag, has just been released to uniformly rave reviews. Born in St. Jerome, Quebec, Georgette, a self-described 'military brat' - her father was in the air force - moved around a fair bit in her youth. Yet no matter where they lived, there was always music in the Fry household. "My Dad listened to a lot of rockabilly and country. I can still remember him sitting on the edge of my bed, plucking his guitar, singing me songs."

Music became an important part of Georgette's life at an early age. "I was around four years old," she recalls, "and my parents took me to the circus. I paid no attention to the elephants, the clowns - there was a woman who sang and played the piano, and I was utterly riveted, mesmerized by the idea that someone could just sit and play and make such beautiful sounds." Other experiences remain equally prominent. "I can still remember the first time I heard Etta James," she recalls. "That voice just sent shivers down my spine." Attracted to the sheer glory of the human voice, she soon began immersing herself in the work of Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, "and I listened to a lot of soul and R&B, people like Laverne Baker, Ruth Brown." One of her biggest influences, though, remains Bonnie Raitt, someone she admires for her courageous vision, unfettered by convention or categorization. Like Bonnie, Georgette regards music as a voyage. "I think anyone who goes on a journey of exploration eventually winds up with the blues," she explains. And she, too, has done her research, wherever possible tracing song and artist connections back to the source. "Blues is every man's music, really. And it's the root of pretty well all popular North American music." Still, she prefers not to be confined or constrained by arbitrary boundaries, even going so far as to affix a warning on "Rites Of Passage" warning buyers they weren't getting a strictly blues album. Though she's well aware of the influence of marketing on musical tastes, she steadfastly maintains "all music lovers love all good music.

Georgette joined her first band in while living in Kingston, Ontario, singing country-rock, rock 'n' roll, and pop-folk. It wasn't until she landed in London, Ontario in 1987 that she joined her first two blues bands, one a five-piece blues/R&B ensemble, the other an acoustic, country-blues trio whose repertoire consisted largely of music from the very infancy of recorded music. Not only did this fan the flames of Georgette's abiding interest in early blues and the history of the genre, it's when her interest in playing the guitar on stage began to wane; her two band mates "were amazing country blues players, really authentic in their approach." She laughingly admits to being just a little intimidated by their fretwork, and though she still plays, "I prefer to let others handle the guitar so I can concentrate on my voice."

Georgette has since returned to Kingston where she now makes her home, holding a weekly house gig in a local club for an astonishing seven years. She prefers to work with her own rather than pickup bands as much as possible, and with two teachers in the ranks she does most of her touring in the summer months. Like her current favourites Fathead, Carlos Del Junco, and The Sidemen, boundary-stretchers all, her material isn't restricted to twelve-bar conventions; arguably the trickier for it, it warrants a well-rehearsed unit. "I've always been attracted to songs with interesting changes," says Georgette, adding that she's long admired both the rhythmic complexities of Little Feat and the songwriting craft of John Hiatt.

Plans are shaping up for appearances at a number of festivals in 2002, and Georgette's already assembling material for her next recording. She enjoys both aspects of her work. "I love to write," she says (she's currently shopping around for a publisher), "but I cannot imagine ever giving up performing." 'Soft-seaters' and clubs hold equal appeal. "It's great to get people up dancing," she explains, "but in concert halls and at festivals, audiences really listen to the music."

Offstage, Georgette is an avid reader, primarily of Canadian fiction - Atwood, Ondaatje, and Timothy Findley figure prominently on her reading list, as does Paul Quarrington, author of "Whale Music" (one of the great 'rock books' of our time). "As in fiction, imagery is very important in songwriting," Georgette claims, "and I think creative people in other idioms have a greater appreciation of music as well."

Georgette says she stands firmly with one foot in both camps where the Internet is concerned. "Certainly it's a great tool for getting the word out," she says. "Music on the 'Net is much more accessible, and with people turning away from being spoon-fed by the major labels, they're able to do their own research, to seek out the things they like. There's no question that it's muddied the issues surrounding artists royalties, though. I don't mind people downloading a sample, but more than that and we're talking theft," says Georgette.

She admits that royalties are a difficult issue at best, however. "I still remember my first royalty cheque," she laughs. "It was for seven dollars. I would have framed it but I ran out of smokes!" Still, she remains undeterred by any financial hardships associated with the life of a musician. "I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. Everything I do in between is music-related. I love my job. I love my life!"

Would that we could all have the same attitude!

© Copyright 2002 Feature by John Taylor