I’d heard a rumour about Tyler Beckett.
Nothing scandalous, of course, but a scintillating rumour nonetheless. One which I’d been dying to verify for months. I finally got my chance to run the rumour down over a slice of apple pie and cheddar cheese while visiting Tyler, Devan Ballagh, and their young son Cameron. More on the pie and cheese later, heck, more on the rumour later. For now, let’s establish one thing about these three up top. This is the reigning royal family of Ontario fiddlin’. Or as close to royalty as one gets in the down home world of step-dancing and fiddle-sawing.
Both Tyler and Devan came up in musical families. Not in the “piano in the parlour, occasional off-key sing along after dinner” way, but in the “gigging by age 4, competing in weekly fiddle contests” kind of musical families.
Performing through Southwestern Ontario with their respective family bands – creatively titled “the Beckett’s” and “the Ballaghs” – it was inevitable the two would meet. And meet they did, when Tyler and his equally gifted sister Linsey were hired to perform alongside the Ballaghs in Wingham Ontario, sometime around 1998.
Tyler and Devan continued to orbit each other, performing regularly on the same fiddle and step-dance circuit, until what can only be described as a fateful night following a Sweet Adelines performance. Driving home from the show together, they chatted about whatever it is that young fiddle prodigies talk about (likely any topic but fiddles). Once home, Devan found a quiet corner, presumably let out a long sigh, and wrote in her diary that she and Tyler Beckett would marry someday. One decade and countless concerts later, they did just that.
Just as it was for them growing up, music has remained a constant throughout their married life. Each continues to perform with family, overlapping and supporting each other’s efforts. Devan features at performances by the Beckett’s, Tyler provided fiddle on Devan’s recent debut album “Million Little Pieces”.
I quickly lose track of the number of active projects the two are currently juggling. One such project is Studio 410, Devan’s collaboration with her sister Paige. Studio 410 is a multifaceted not-for-profit that works to empower young performers in a variety of disciplines. They offer a dance program in the spring, week-long musical day camp in the summer, and Bite-Size Broadway in the fall. It was born out of Devan and Paige’s childhood daydreams in which they’d act out all the steps of operating a bustling theatre. That enthusiasm never waned, and is now being instilled in the young performers coming up in Studio 410 – an actual dream come true. “Just do the thing. It might not be pretty, it might get messy, but just do it!” says Devan of pursuing a dream.
“The rumour was that Tyler Beckett had played with none other than Justin Bieber.”
Tyler keeps busy these days working with Canadian country stars, Jade Eagleson and Dan Davidson. He’s recorded with each, and between the two acts, his touring schedule is, in a word, robust. In two words, it’s intimidatingly complex. Norway one week, Alberta the next. Quick flight to PEI, down to Columbus, back to Winnipeg, then a long dusty drive deep into the backwoods of Ontario. I tagged along into the backwoods, for the Palmer Rapids Twin Music Festival, and it was a revelation.
Tyler knew everyone there, and everyone knew him. Those years on the fiddle circuit have built him a stellar reputation in the musical community. A reputation he acknowledges the same way he does his numerous accolades and awards – humbly, and with good humour.
Asked whether he received a trophy when inducted into the Central Canadian Bluegrass Hall of Fame, he cracks a sheepish grin and states, “I did. It’s at Mom and Dad’s somewhere.”
In 2023, Devan and Tyler welcomed their son, Cameron, to the world, and the little man has quickly taken to the family trade. In his infancy, Cameron was strapped into a baby carrier and brought along to rehearsals, performances, even festivals. He’s always taken to live music, and these days he excitedly dances along. Showing a hint of that familial work ethic, he’s been known to dance hard, right past the point of dizziness. “Dad was in a barbershop quartet,” says Devan, “and my most core memories are of being at a show, or hearing them rehearse downstairs. Whenever we’re wondering if it’s worth Cameron missing a nap or two, I remember that.”
While Devon shares these beautiful vignettes of her childhood, Tyler asks whether we’d be interested in a slice of apple pie. Of course, that question has only one correct answer, but the follow up question perplexed me: “Do you like your pie with cheese?”
I panic, not knowing how to proceed. Was this some sort of weird ritual practised by fiddle dynasties the world over? Would I be committing a grievous faux pas if I declined?
As though it would help me make up my mind, Tyler offers the following words of wisdom: “Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.” At this point I know I have to go along with the cheese pie rather than risk offending my hosts by rejecting their outlandish custom. I still have a rumour to run down after all.
The rumour, which I’d heard from retired barrister of note, Brian Barrie (AKA a reputable source), is that Tyler Beckett had played with none other than Justin Bieber. In discussion with Tyler and Devan, and through subsequent exhaustive investigation, I have uncovered the facts.
They are as follows – Beckett recorded ten violin and four viola parts for Bieber’s version of Stevie Wonder’s holiday classic, “Someday at Christmas”. The song, recorded at a now defunct studio in Stratford Ontario in 2007, appeared on the Deluxe Edition of Bieber’s 2011 album “Under the Mistletoe”. In an Instagram Live from March 26, 2020, Bieber stated that “Someday at Christmas” was his first song recorded in a proper studio.
In our conversation on July 22, 2024, Beckett indicates to me that he received compensation in the form of a $350 cheque for his contribution to the recording. He proceeds to relate that in order to hear the song, he had to purchase the album himself, which he did, at Wal-Mart. The compact disc was later stolen from his van while in Missouri. Beckett and Bieber have never met.
The confirmation of this rumour was positively delicious. The life and love of Tyler and Devan is undeniably sweet, and the Ballad of Beckett and Ballagh will doubtless be sung for generations. But what’s really stuck with me is that slice of apple pie and cheddar cheese. Like a kiss without a squeeze indeed. It’s so true. Try it. You’ll never go back.
Words and photos by Zak Erb
