The Best Of Shari Ulrich

By the time The Best Of Shari Ulrich was released, Shari Ulrich had already built one of the most varied careers in Canadian roots and folk-pop music. Born in San Rafael, California, she moved to British Columbia in the early 1970s and quickly became part of the West Coast acoustic scene. In 1973, she formed the Pied Pumkin String Ensemble with Rick Scott and Joe Mock, contributing violin, mandolin, flute, dulcimer, guitar, piano, and saxophone to the group’s distinctive sound.

In 1976, Ulrich was hired to tour with Valdy as part of his backing group, which soon developed into the Hometown Band. The group won a Juno Award, and Ulrich’s own songwriting breakthrough came with ‘Feel Good’, written for the band’s second album. Its success helped launch her solo career after the Hometown Band disbanded in 1978.

Ulrich’s solo work brought further national recognition. Her second LP, One Step Ahead, earned her the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year in 1981, leading to an international deal with MCA. Working with longtime producer and collaborator Claire Lawrence, she recorded the acclaimed Talk Around Town, but a major label shakeup shortly before its planned U.S. release left the album without the support it deserved. After time spent in Toronto and Los Angeles, Ulrich returned to the West Coast, where she established her own studio and continued recording independently.

Following Every Road in 1989, The Best Of Shari Ulrich gathered highlights from her first three solo albums, capturing the arc from her post-Hometown Band breakthrough through her major-label years. That same period also saw the formation of UHF, her trio with Bill Henderson of Chilliwack and Roy Forbes, formerly known as Bim. The group would go on to tour extensively and record two albums.

By the late 1990s, Ulrich’s work had expanded well beyond solo recording. She appeared in the Vancouver Arts Club Theatre production Tapestry, a tribute to Carole King, released The View From Here with string arrangements and soprano saxophone contributions from Bill Runge, and participated in the revived Pied Pumkin, whose return included sold-out tours and archival/live releases. She also produced the Bluebird North songwriter showcase series for the Songwriters Association of Canada, while continuing to perform with UHF, Pied Pumkin, Bill Runge, and her daughter Julia Graff.