First Published in Country Music International – December 1998

Having turned their backs on their Ontario home in order to try their luck in Nashville, THE WILKINSONS are now one of the hottest new country acts on the block

The Wilkinsons, made up of guitar-playing dad Steve Wilkinson and his singing children, 14-year-old Tyler and 16-year-old Amanda, have become one of the hottest new country acts of the year, as their sentimental debut single, 26 cents, climbed to Number Three on the country charts, pushing their album, NOTHING BUT LOVE, towards gold and platinum status.

The Canadian family only moved to the States a little over a year ago. They sold their house in Ontario and weighed up whether to build another home or move to Nashville and make a stab at the music business. Music City won out. Shortly after the move, they went to an open mic night at a club to hear a songwriter friend sing. Amanda got up and sang, followed by the whole group. Ten days later the Wilkinsons were being courted by several record labels including MCA, Dreamworks, Capitol, Lyric Street, Arista, Sony and Giant, the label that ended up signing them last December.

Steve had had success as a songwriter on the Canadian charts with Keeping Up With The Joneses and I Might Be Down by Larry Mercey, formerly of the Mercey Brothers, and Lonnie Wallace who had four of Steve's songs on her MCA album, including Fine Line and Little Lies, Big Trouble, that were played extensively on radio.

Alongside Steve's songwriting successes, both Amanda and Tyler showed signs of musical talent from a very young age. Amanda has been singing almost since she could walk, and she and Steve began appearing at country fairs. At one event, then seven-year-old Tyler also climbed on stage to sing, and the trio was born. Steve's wife Chris, who sings at home but has incredible stage fright, focuses on home-schooling the children, and they also have a nine-year-old daughter Kiaya.

The close-knit family projects a wholesome, innocent image. They are the epitome of a functional family, but balancing family life with show business will be a challenge, concedes Steve. As a father, he seems to have been caught of guard by the sudden success of the family act, but both he and Chris plan to keep everyone together, including Kiaya, and try to maintain a level of family normality.

"We're very conscious of not letting all this go to the kids' heads," he says. "We are aware of the dangers of getting a big hit in the business, but I'll tell you something—Amanda probably said it best: 'Just because you have a record on the radio is no reason for you to get goofy. The world already has enough idiots: the population doesn't need to be increased by three.'"

Fresh and exuberant, the Wilkinsons are set to reinject country music with glistening harmonies, solid lyrics and soaring vocals. They not only make music that captivates, they bring a sense of traditional values and being at peace with the way life evolves. 

What sets the music apart is that, while the album's theme is relationships, the songs are age-appropriate for the teenagers without sounding like juvenile bubble-gum music. Steve realised that teen angst would not work; neither would songs about divorce or cheating husbands. Young singers lose credibility when they sing about things they couldn't possibly have experienced. It presented him with the perfect opportunity to write honest songs about coming of age in today's complicated world.

Most of the material features 16-year-old Amanda's expressive and astonishingly mature alto. Her personality comes through, too, especially when she sings Boy Oh Boy, about the exuberance of young love. Her voice is filled with ache and conflict when she addresses the insurmountable gap of the right and wrong side of the tracks in Williamstown, while 26 Cents speaks volumes about the power of a mother's love.

"There's a fine line between wholesome and hokey," Steve admits. "This is a real world we live in, but it doesn't need to be so real that we rob our children of the years when they get to be kids. They should be learning and having fun without all the pressures." He confesses that he is a little uncomfortable about having Amanda sing a lyric that says: 'You make me feel like a woman,' but he knows that she is nearing maturity. "You see kids getting involved in sexual relationships younger and younger," he says. "I think they're losing their youth."

The past few months have seen the Wilkinsons playing all over the country. The whole family travels, including Chris and Kiaya, with the children doing homework on the bus and in hotel rooms. At home they try to live normal lives— Tyler shoots baskets with friends, and Amanda's favourite pastime is shopping.

Steve says that they are looking to build an international following for their music. "We are really excited about our 1999 release in the UK" he enthuses. "We are absolutely thrilled about the prospect of coming over there. I've got relatives in England that I've only met once, and I would love to get re-acquainted with them and just get over there and do some shows. I think it's going to be the coolest thing. It's wonderful for the kids to travel and sort of broaden their horizons."