Shari Ulrich


Sharon "Shari" Ulrich is a Canadian/American musician and songwriter. She has also worked as a television host, actress, film composer, and educator. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays violin, mandolin, guitar, piano, and dulcimer.
She has been nominated for a Juno Award four times, winning "Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year" in 1982. At the 15th Genie Awards in 1994, Ulrich, Graeme Coleman and David Graff received a Genie Award nomination for Best Original Song, for the song "Every Road", which appeared in the film Max.

Early life

Ulrich was born in San Rafael, California, to Esther and Stanley Ulrich; she was the youngest of three children. Esther was proficient on piano, while Stanley, played the recorder for relaxation. Shari picked up music early, playing violin at age nine. Stanley died when Shari was 10 years old, leaving Esther to raise their family as a single parent. Ulrich moved to British Columbia at the age of 18.

Career

Ulrich performed on the coffeehouse circuit around Vancouver in the early 1970s. In 1973, she met up with Rick Scott and Joe Mock, and together they formed Pied Pumkin which first performed that year.
Ulrich toured with Valdy in 1976 as a member of The Hometown Band. After they disbanded in 1978, the same year they won the Juno Award for "Most Promising Group of the Year", she went solo, and won a 1981 Juno Award for "Most Promising Female Vocalist" and received Juno nominations in the following two years for "Best Female Vocalist".
Ulrich wrote for Sesame Street and composed theme music for several networks, including the CBC. In 1989, she formed the folk music group UHF along with Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes.
In 2009, Ulrich joined Barney Bentall and Tom Taylor and formed BTU, releasing the album "Live" at Cates Hill followed by the studio album Tightrope Walk.
Ulrich continues to perform solo. Graff also engineered and produced Ulrich's 2014 release "Everywhere I Go" and Bentall Taylor Ulrich's 2016 "Tightrope Walk", and 2019's "Back to Shore". She tours occasionally with the Pied Pumkin, UHF, BTU, and the bluegrass group The High Bar Gang. She lives on Bowen Island, British Columbia.

Personal life

Ulrich was married to musician, songwriter and artist David Graff, Julia Graff's father, who performs in his band as well. She is also an audio engineer, music editor in film and television, and videographer. Shari also has a son, Oregon architect Mike Magee, who was put up for adoption in 1967, and with whom she reunited in 2009.

Discography

Solo

Long Nights, 1980. One Step Ahead, 1981. Talk Around Town, 1982. Every Road, 1989. The Best of Shari Ulrich, 1991. The View from Here, 1998. Find Our Way, 2010. Everywhere I Go, 2014. Back to Shore, 2019.

Group

The Pied Pumkin String Ensemble - Pied Pumkin, 1974. Pie Pumkin Allah Mode - Pied Pumkin, 1976. Flying - The Hometown Band, 1976. The Hometown Band - The Hometown Band, 1977. Pear of Pied Pumkin - Pied Pumkin, 1978. The Lost Squash Tapes - Pied Pumkin 1988. UHF - UHF, 1990. UHF II - UHF, 1995. Plucking DeVine - Pied Pumkin, 1998. 'Live' at Cates Hill - Barney Bentall, Shari Ulrich, Tom Taylor, 2009. Lost and Undone - The High Bar Gang, 2013. Tightrope Walk - Bentall Taylor Ulrich, 2016. Someday the Heart Will Trouble the Mind - The High Bar Gang, 2017.