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Ida Mae Specker
Gifted folk and Americana singer and fiddler Ida Mae Specker was born and raised in Andover , Vermont . Growing up , Specker recalls feeling a deep connection to her community and its musical traditions . “ My father , John Specker , moved up here in the late 1970s ,” shares Specker . “ He moved to Vermont in 1978 to work on an apple orchard , and he met my mother and became part of a community of old-time fiddle players .” The musicians that John Specker met and began playing with in Vermont were playing traditional American folk music , which was rooted in the Appalachian tradition . As a result , Ida grew up going to square dances and potluck parties where fiddle players would beautifully showcase their virtuosic talents . “ It shaped my artistic trajectory to the greatest degree possible . My mother , Susan Leader , is a potter . There were so many incredible craftspeople and musicians . It was a pretty magical community to grow up in , and it was a special time to be in Vermont .”
Specker recalls listening to her father practice fiddle for up to eight hours a day after coming back from working in the pottery studio . Although Specker was not extensively trained in classical music as a
young woman , she expressed a keen musical acuity throughout her younger years . “ Music was a language that we spoke in our family ,” says Specker . She honed her skills as a fiddler and vocalist throughout her adolescence , and she starred in multiple musical theater productions at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River . After graduating from high school , Specker headed to Brown University , where she studied Theater , Dance , and Anthropology . Specker recalls that although she never had specific aspirations of becoming a professional musician , her love for Americana music was reaffirmed by a serendipitous exchange on the Brown University Campus . She elaborates : “ When I was growing up , traditional folk music was not as commercially viable as it is now . I always saw it as something that existed on the fringes of society . Then , one day , I was practicing the fiddle just for fun on the main campus green . I was playing a tune and some other college students came up to me . They said , ‘ Your bowing almost sounds like John Specker .’ At the time , I had no idea that anyone — especially young people — knew about my dad or about old-time music . I will never forget that moment .”
After graduating from Brown , Specker lived in Nashville and coastal Maine before returning to Vermont in 2011 . With firm roots planted in her home state , Specker began building her career as a touring and performing musician . She began her musical journey by playing with her father , John , and her sister , Lila , and went on to eventually play in bands with her friends , such as The Break Maids and Faux In Love . In 2013 , Specker took a leap of faith and recorded her first album , Single Girl . “ I quit my job in the service industry and never looked back ,” says Specker . “ It was a pivotal decision in my journey towards playing music professionally . I played every instrument and sang my own harmonies . It was a very important step , and it led to some great things .”
In the years that followed , Specker built a loyal regional following . She released her first album of original songs , Billy in the
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