Julian Austin ... He's Back In Your Life.

Meet Julian Austin, an honest-to-goodness Canadian country music success story.

He's a Maritimer who rose from the ashes of a troubled youth to become one of Canada's brightest country music stars in the space of just two short years.

Immediately after the release of his debut CD What My Heart Already Knows in ï97, Austin wowed audiences across Canada as the opening act on Michelle Wright's mammoth cross-country tour. His rockin-country edge, vibrant personality and from-the-heart songs made him an instant crowd favourite, driving tracks like "Little Ol' Kisses", "What My Heart Already Knows", "Diamond" and "Hard Time Lovin' You" into the forefront of country radio playlists.

After performing to over a half a million fans with his award-winning band The Austinators, Julian has moved to Calgary and married his sweetheart Angela.

Now that he has had a taste for the road, and a storybook romance, he's primed for phase two of his career with the release of Back In Your Life.

Julian agrees with the premise that for a newly established artist, the sophomore release can be the most daunting, simply because a performer has to deliver on the promise which both the fans and the music industry have come to expect after such a stirring debut. He says that Back In Your Life is meant to build on the impact that vaulted What My Heart Already Knows to gold status in Canada.

"I wanted to come out with a sound that remained easily identifiable to my fans as Julian Austin, but this time around there needed to be a little less of the heartache and a shade more of a positive and upbeat feel."

To that end he's written or co-written 13 of the 14 tracks and offered some new insights into the Julian Austin phenomenon, all wrapped in a value-added package which includes a countrified romp on Steve Miller's classic "Take The Money And Run".

"The feedback I've received from the fans has shown me that certain songs have dramatically affected and even changed their lives. So, I wanted to keep that element Ü but also get into some other areas that I didn't touch the first time around."

Fourteen tracks is a lot of music; most artists tend to keep it at about 11 or 12 as a maximum, but Julian went for the gusto.

"We decided to go with the 14 songs because I really needed to give the people a bang for their buck. I had a chance to put that many songs on the collection and because the fans are spending their hard earned money on my music I wanted to give them lots to listen to."

One of the high points of Julian's first stint on tour was the realization that like the artists who had influenced and touched him personally with their music, he was now becoming a life-shaper in his own right.

He says the fans all react in different ways.

Sometimes it's upbeat: "One guy came up to me and said he loved "Little Ol' Kisses". He talked about the fact that his wife left him, cleaned him out in the process and took off with another guy. He said he was really, really, down-and-out: ïUntil I saw your face come on TV singing that song and I want you to know that crazy tune of yours helped me through the hardest time of my life Ü I really laugh at it now'."

Other times the reaction to his music is downright touching.

"I received a letter from a mother whose child is autistic and she says that he connects with nothing in his world. But she told me about one day the "Little Ol' Kisses" tune came on CMT and he responded to it. He walked over to the TV and started dancing - now every time the video comes on he reacts the same way. The fact that I've personally been able to make a connection with an autistic child is beyond belief."

Julian and The Austinators can also affect their audiences during live performances as well. "We've been performing one of the new songs on the CD called "Forever Loving You" and it continually affects us, when you look out in the audience and see people crying. The idea that music is able to make a connection where you are reaching right in and grabbing hold of their heart strings is powerful stuff."

The bottom line with Julian Austin is that he's projecting the music on Back In Your Life in a straight-from-the-heart fashion.

"I write as honestly as I can within the capabilities I currently have as a writer. When I write something that I feel strongly about on a personal level you can't help but believe that someone else out there is going to connect with that because we all go through similar emotions, celebrations and tragedies in life. However, it's not until you see an audience react, or hear someone talk about it in person, that the true effect music can have becomes evident."

Even at this early point in his career Julian knows he's come a long way.

"For the first two-and-a-half years I had a little problem going from having nothing to achieving some success. That time frame was a bit of a whirlwind for me and I wasn't really grasping the concept of where I was and what was happening to me.

"I certainly have not had the same level of international success that some other artists have had, but in my own country I'm seen on TV everyday and people come up to me on the street and talk to me like a personal friend - that takes some getting used to."

Now that Back In Your Life is cooking on the front burner Julian realizes that the long and winding road of bringing the CD out to his fans is kicking back into high gear. The tour trail beckons and he's ready to roll. - Rick Overall 2000

Julian Austin - Just The Facts

From: Saint John, New Brunswick

Resides: Calgary, Alberta

Influences: Tracy Lawrence, George Strait, Merle Haggard and Alan Jackson.
In my teens I was playing in the country bars when I heard Tracy Lawrence's "Sticks & Stones" and it changed my whole outlook on where I wanted to go with music.

Inspirations: Outside of music I get a lot of inspiration when I visit kids in the hospital. I find it incredible that at times I can bring a little bit of joy into their lives. They give me strength. You think that you have problems until you find out the things that they have to go through on a daily basis and you realize that your problems don't mean very much. I've done quite a bit of work for Children's Wish, Camp Trillium, Alberta Sick Kids Hospital and recently I have spent a lot of time with abused children. If my story can help or inspire them just a little, it makes it all worthwhile.

Another group I do a lot of work with is the Canadian Professional Rodeo Sports Medicine Association. These are the volunteer doctors, nurses, chiropractors, massage therapists, dentists and various other health care workers who give their time to help injured rodeo riders. They show up at every event and monies raised help supply their trailers with medical supplies. I have first hand knowledge of the great work they do as I have needed their assistance. In January of 1999, while bull-riding, I was injured by a 1500 pound animal. I ended up with four broken ribs, three cracked ribs, a punctured lung and a 2" deep hole in my leg. My bull-riding days are overƒfor now.