There was a time when Wayne Burton was working on his bachelor's degree and had to make a choice: musician or doctor.
"I decided to be both," he says. "They are both things I love. I decided I would have to structure my life so that I could carry out both dreams."
Now practicing family medicine in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and a husband and father of four children, Burton admits that music "often gets done when I can squeeze it in. It's hard to trim back the medical demands. So I do a lot of the music late at night and when short opportunities crop up."
Still, he said by phone from Canada, "I'm satisfied with where my music's gone."
And with good reason. That music journey has led to work on a number of CDs including three of his own, including his newest, "Becoming."
Tonight Burton will be performing in concert at Utah Valley State College with pianist Michael Hicks and singer April Meservy.
It's always good to come back to Utah, he said. "I love the people. I love to come back."
Burton served an LDS mission in Salt Lake City and then returned to attend medical school here. While in school, he released a CD titled "The Quest," which
garnered local attention and led to a stage production featuring the story and music of the album.
Since then he has also won a number of Awards of Merit in the LDS General Church Music Competition. Three of those award-winning songs — "What Would I Give," co-written with Hilary Weeks, "When the Day Is Done" and "The Gift He Gave" — appear on the new CD.
"Becoming" was recorded in Utah, with Tyler Castleton and John Hancock as his co-producers and a number of local musicians contributing to the backup vocals and musical accompaniments. So, Burton said, he still feels like he's part of the local music scene. "For my type of music — this kind of inspirational music — that's where the scene is."
He hopes the CD will remind people that "life is a process. We're not going to suddenly arrive at the end, all finished. We have to take each day and set goals and work toward them. If you spend your life waiting for better things, you miss the rewards you should have along the way. The blessings come in the journey."
That doesn't mean it will always be easy. "We have to realize that life has lots of ups and downs. Some days will be more difficult than others, but we should not get down on ourselves. It's a process, and we are all 'becoming."'
He's found that philosophy also applies to medicine. "Every day, I see people who are struggling. I see a lot of depression and people with self-esteem issues. And I've come to appreciate how important frame-of-mind can be. You have to keep your chin up. You may be taking baby steps, but if you're moving in the right direction, you are moving forward."
The title song of his CD talks about that. And the other songs all fit that general theme, offering messages of hope, wisdom and joy. The album showcases Burton's talents as singer and songwriter, but also as a musician on piano and guitar. ("Home Again," a piano solo adds a nice finishing touch.)
The album also features duets with Jen Marco Handy and April Meservy. "I think my songwriting has progressed, and the sound is current."
Another thing Burton has learned is that "nobody's going to do it for you." In music, especially, "no one's going to take you and make you a huge star. You have to work hard and put yourself into every opportunity."
That's one reason he wants to do the concert. "Michael, April and I put it together. It will give us a chance to catch up with each other, perform with each other. We are three artists who are all maybe not yet where we want to be. We're all still 'becoming."'
That's an exciting prospect, he said, because who knows where it might lead? "I still have so many ideas in my head. I know they will be expressed somehow."
Even as life gets busier, even as he fills his commitments to both family and medicine, "I still will keep the music going."
If you go . . .
What: Wayne Burton, Michael Hicks, April Meservy
Where: Ragan Theater, Utah Valley State College, Orem
When: Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $7
Web:wayneburton.com
E-mail: carma@desnews.com