Guthro was just making his name as a solo artist in Canada when the Celtic rock band recruited him in 1998
Simultaneously a beloved Cape Breton balladeer on this side of the Atlantic ocean and a folk-rock superstar on the other, Bruce Guthro lived a double life in plain sight. And if his business savvy, prolific songwriting and scrappy perseverance built a career in Canada, his fame in Scotland owed a lot to happenstance.
It was conundrum for Mr. Guthro and the label to which he was signed, EMI Music Canada. At risk was the momentum Mr. Guthro had built as a solo artist, all for an opportunity with a legendary overseas band whose glory days appeared to be behind them. As well, some of the group’s proud anthems were sung in Gaelic, Scotland’s endangered heritage language, which was Greek to Mr. Guthro.
“They kind of washed their hands of him,” said Bob Mersereau, the Fredericton-based music writer and author of. “They released Bruce’s self-titled follow-up album in 2001, but they weren’t working it to radio.” His principal contributions were sentimental story-songs earnestly delivered via nontaxing country melodies and folky song structures. With his lyrics, Mr. Guthro gently explored the bittersweet, romantic and redemptive varieties of life. The subjects of the songs were often common people in poignant crisis.is an affecting ballad about an absent father seeking a son’s forgiveness after two decades apart.
Though Mr. Guthro was not considered a confessional songwriter, he had his reflective moments. With 2001′s, he spoke for an occupation and possibly himself: “That’s why he struggles with his pen, to try and leave us something to believe.” On Sept. 14, more than 3,500 of his fans flocked to the Centre 200 arena in Sydney for a Celebration of Life concert paying tribute to the local boy done good. Among the performers at the four-and-a-half-hour event were Mr. Gunning, Alan Doyle, the Barra MacNeils, Gordie Sampson, Kim Dunn and Heather Rankin.
“He had a way of making people feel comfortable,” said Ms. MacNeil who as a child first encountered a teenaged Mr. Guthro singing at her family’s house over Christmas. “I love his voice, but he had a way of drawing you in whether he was singing or not.”with Natalie MacMaster at an East Coast Music Awards gala, EMI’s Mr. Cameron signed Mr. Guthro to the label that was already home to Kim Stockwood and Ron Hynes.
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