Are you the person you dreamed of becoming? Is your life what you thought it would be? Have things gone wrong as you planned or has your life been changed by events and circumstances beyond your control? My own life has been profoundly transformed in ways I could not have imagined. Now, after a fourteen-year journey into darkness and back, it is finally time to share my story.
In 1993, during my graduate year of the classical music program at Mount Allison University, I released my debut CD of original pop rock songs. It was well received by both the media and public, and it seemed my music career was about to take off.
Enter an unexpected plot twist - a mysterious illness that robbed me of my energy, my health, and even my voice. Months of fruitless medical tests finally delivered me to a holistic doctor who diagnosed me with environmental illness, an uncommon disease that lead to major life changes for me. The doctor urged me to leave Nova Scotia’s damp climate for the dry western air of Alberta. So I sold what little I owned and bought a one-way plane ticket to Calgary.
In an effort to regain my health, I put aside my music for what I expected to be a year of recovery. After all, holding down a full time job while living with chronic fatigue and constant pain can take its toll. That year, however, became a decade which would lead me to the heart of my illness and deep into a personal dark night of the soul.
In order to cover my medical expenses and the basic costs of living, I chose to work in a CD store so I could stay close to the world of music. During my ten years in this job, I learned much about the inner workings of the music business. I also immersed myself in more than ten thousand albums and the job proved to be a valuable form of musical training, preparing me for an eventual return to the stage.
It was also during my time at the CD store that fate delivered a beautiful young woman into my life. For years I had been ill and struggling on my own, not wanting to burden anyone with the weight of my life’s troubles. It was in meeting Lilian, however, that I became aware of the healing power of unconditional love.
By 2005, after years of patience and persistence, I was finally well enough to move forward with my transition from song seller to songwriter. So it was that I left behind my comfortable job for an uncertain future as a performer. Lilian, now my supportive wife, urged me to pursue my passion for making music.
I pressed onward, honing my skills in the recording studio, penning songs born from my spiritual journey and singing in public again. With each performance, listeners encouraged me to release my songs on a CD. Finally, after fourteen years of silence comes "Newborn," a selection of songs reflecting my experience of transformation from a broken spirit trapped in darkness into a purposeful soul singing songs of light.
Click on the picture below to learn more about Anthony Burbidge and "Newborn" on his website.
