The Guardian
Sally Cole

Steve Sharratt's first solo CD is a surprise.

Not only does it showcase his deep voice which ranges from soft to gritty and musical styles that vary from folk to blues and jazz, it demonstrates his prowess as a songwriter.

That's because 12 of the 13 songs on his self-titled CD are original compositions.

"Except for Que Sera, which is included for fun for people who remember the old Doris Day song, it's my songbook," says Sharratt during a telephone interview.

He admits that there's a close tie between his day job as a newspaper reporter and his ability to write songs. One could call it a natural gathering ability.

"You can write a collection of stories, but this is a collection of stories put to music," says The Guardian's Montague bureau manager.

He admits that journalism plays an important part in researching and writing them.

"Some songs are poignant love songs. Others are gritty, based on real things that have happened in everyday life," he says.

For instance, Lantern Burn, which has been recorded by several, including Rita and Mary Rankin, was inspired by a story told to him by Louis Cantelo of Montague.

"He told me about this woman named Betty who lived down in the St. Mary's Bay near Sturgeon. And how her lover, a sea captain, had left on a voyage to haul timber to Britain in the 1780s and never returned.

"The story was about how she would wander the cliffs, carrying a light to help him find his way home. I was just so moved by the tale, that the song just sort of came to me. Kerri Wynne (MacLeod) does a beautiful job of singing it on this CD," says Sharratt, who lives in Knox's Dam with his wife, Nancy Malcolm Sharratt, and three children.

One Last Boat is based on the story of Stephen MacLeod of Wood Islands who was killed while on a fishing boat.

"It's about him because he was a young man with a young wife and son. And it's a tribute to all fishermen who go out on the water and are constantly in danger," he says.

In contrast, the song Canoe came out of the songwriter's natural love for the water.

"I love to paddle. I live right on the Montague River so I can walk down the steps and jump in the boat and go with my family," he says.

Born in St. Catharines, Ont., Sharratt spent all the summers of his youth in a cottage by the lake near Algonquin Park.

"I've always loved canoeing, so the song came out of years and years of absorbing and loving canoeing.

"But really, it's a metaphor for life. The idea of 'all I've got is this old canoe and I hope that's OK', meaning that hopefully you take me as I am," says Sharratt.

And Emmerson Wightman is completely fictional.

"It's a collection of lighthouse keepers that I've met over the years; a fantasy man who wishes for more. He's a figment of a guy who is tied down by something and wishes that he could just jump in and go away," says Sharratt.

Perhaps the most historic is Sugar From Trees. It was inspired by the 200th arrival of the Selkirk Settlers from the Isle of Sky and is a commission from the Highland Council in Scotland.

"I went down to the Lord Selkirk Park on a moonlit night and sat on the beach two years ago and waited for the inspiration to hit me . . . I knew that we had to leave for Scotland within a week and I didn't have my piece . . . But then all of a sudden it came to me. I walked through the cemeteries, saw the names and it sort of came with me," says Sharratt.

On the CD he is accompanied Roy Johnstone on fiddle; Brad Fremlin, percussion; Deryl Gallant, bass and Albert Kays on drums.

You can catch Sharratt and fiddler Roy Johnstone with their show Hot Plaid Sunday night.

Sharratt also hosts Orwell Corner Historic Festival on Wednesday nights. He will perform with Kerri Wynne MacLeod at the Trailside Cafe on Sept. 17.

His new CD is available at many outlets across P.E.I.

Sally Cole is a features writer with The Guardian. She may be reached at scole@theguardian.pe.ca or by phone at 629-6054.