Page 164 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Reason To Sing

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Music Biz

Hudson constantly encouraged me to drop out of York U and
start my career in the theatre world. I was probably ready, but I
really wanted to complete my four years and in hindsight, I’m
happy I did. One of my leading roles earned a large print photo
in Canada’s biggest newspaper, the Toronto Star. That was
pretty exciting. I also wrote and starred in “Traces,” my one-
woman musical cabaret. It featured several of my childhood
characters, and it’s where my fun-loving, original burnt-out
honkytonk queen, Dixie Lee, was born. I took a lot of chances
and wasn’t afraid to put myself out there.
Meanwhile, on the songwriting front, I had started
to record demos with just me and the piano, on a massive
(borrowed) reel-to-reel tape recorder. I also travelled by bus,
subway and streetcar to a tiny 8-track studio called Comfort
Sound, downtown on Queen Street.
And what an exciting day it was when, fresh out of
university, I landed my first professional job as an actress. Four
months in the small lakeside resort town of Port Dover with
TWO leading roles. I felt completely at home on that stage
and couldn’t wait to do more.
Being away from Hudson had its issues. I did miss him
(perhaps not as much as I should have) but what I did not miss
was his constant hovering and watchful eye. I loved the sense
of freedom, being on my own and hanging out with the other
actors. I even had a crush on one of the band members. I knew
it was wrong and I felt guilty, but it was hard to turn down

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