Tyler Beckett for the second consecutive year won the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Fiddle Player of the Year award on Sept. 19.
“It’s very humbling – I mean, the list of nominees and those other fiddle players that aren’t even on the list, to be named at the top of that list, it is very humbling,” says Beckett.
Growing up in Kemble, Ont., Beckett started taking violin lessons at about age three with his younger sister, Lindsay Beckett. That led to both joining their family band – The Beckett Family Band – and competing in fiddle contests, later moving on to play in other country and bluegrass music bands.
“It’s been a great way to grow up. I remember hearing about the stories from my dad, John, and my grandpa Stan of grandpa’s parents going around from house to house doing house parties,” says Beckett. “They would put the piano in the back of the horse and buggy or the cutter in the wintertime and go play.”
Beckett is a financial planner working out of offices in Owen Sound and Hanover, juggling that with his continued success as a musician.
“Music – I won’t call it a hobby or even a part-time job, but it is still a passion of mine, and it allows me to still go play around the world and maintain my home front,” says Beckett.
Technology has allowed Beckett to work away from home while he is playing music in places such as the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. However, due to his demanding schedule as a financial planner and musician, he believes taking tasks one at a time and prioritizing whatever is at hand keeps him moving forward.
Having played at the Grand Ole Opry with Jade Eagleson, an artist he continues to play with to this day, he is still caught off guard every year by the opportunities that come his way.
“Every year supervises me with some sort of opportunity or place to play,” says Beckett. “I’d love to play the Ryman Stage (Auditorium) maybe someday in Nashville but other then that, just keeping on bringing fiddle music and country music and playing with my family.”
His family still plays together twice a year: once at the Salmon Spectacular in August and once on New Year’s Eve at the Roxy Theatre.