Music is their common ground
Two disparate singers discovered a special harmony when they started singing country music together.
By LOGAN NEILL
Published August 11, 2006
The way Jenny Rimmer recalls it, the first time she and Brian Chytka blended their voices on the song I Can Only Imagine, she almost fell over.
"Here we were, two people who had never sung a note together, just fooling around mostly,'' Rimmer remembers. "I just couldn't believe it. The phrasing, the harmonies just fit together so naturally. It was as if we had been singing together all our lives."
So began a melodic partnership that over the past two years has grown in its musical scope and has propelled the two singers to acclaim far beyond the borders of Hernando County.
They have performed both solo and together at major functions such as the March of Dimes telethon, the Hernando Rodeo and Barbecue Festival and, most recently, the Hernando County Fair, where Chytka and Rimmer sang together and separately throughout the 10-day event and served as opening act for country star John Anderson.
On Saturday, in downtown Brooksville, the duo will make their second appearance at the monthly Bandshell Bash concert in support of Central Florida singer J.T. Curtis.
"We don't turn down too many opportunities to get in front of an audience," said Chytka pronounced Hit-ka. "We have this philosophy that the more shows we do, the more people are going to see us. That's how you build your success."
Despite having earned top honors as Duo of the Year at the 2005 North American Country Music Association International competition, both Chytka and Rimmer admit that their vocal compatibility comes as a bit of a surprise.
"Because we grew up liking very different kinds of music, it really shouldn't work as well as it does," said Chytka. "The reason it does is because we respect each other's singing style, and we look for things we can agree upon."
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Though born in Florida, Rimmer spent much of her early life in Alabama, steeped in the traditions of Southern bluegrass and gospel music.
At age 12, she took up the upright bass, an instrument so large that she had to stand on a milk crate to play it. By the time she graduated from high school, she had also mastered the banjo and guitar, and formed a gospel bluegrass group with her siblings called the Glory Bound Sisters. Though the band was short-lived, the experience did a lot to whet Rimmer's desire to become a singer.
"Gospel music made me realize I had a gift that I wanted to share with others,'' Rimmer said. However, more important things pulled her life in a different direction. She fell in love and, with her husband, David, set about devoting her life to raising their three children.
By 1996, Rimmer had found her way back to Hernando County and, with her family's blessing, to the music world as well. As a vocalist with gospel singer John Steed's Red River Band, she toured throughout the Southeast and recorded a well-received LP. Later, she teamed up with singer April Caldwell to form a contemporary Christian outfit called Remnant, with which she landed a choice spot on the bill of Nashville's famous Bluebird Cafe.
Though she says she has no illusions about her prospects of striking it rich at age 44 in the youth-driven country music market, Rimmer, who works during the day as a dispatcher at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, has reason to hope there are solid opportunities awaiting her.
"I think there's definitely a segment of country music fans that would love to hear more mature voices from time to time," she said. "You listen to country radio, and it's very narrow. You hear very few songs that aren't aimed at 18- to 20-year-olds. I think my music has a broader appeal than that."
Rimmer, whose accolades include being named the North American Country Music Association International's 2006 Female Vocalist of the Year, has endeavored to get her name out to as many prospective listeners as possible. Earlier this year, she launched her own Web site, www.jennyrimmer.com, which contains audio and video clips and photos, and is in the process of recording a CD, which she hopes to complete this fall.
"There's a lot juggling in my life," she says. "I always want to leave room for music."
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Chytka admits he was never certain he had a voice that was worth listening to until a few years ago when someone egged him into joining a karaoke session in a local tavern one night.
"I would sing all day to the radio in my car, but it was just me" Chytka said. "The thought of getting up in front of people and opening my mouth was pretty frightening."
As it turned out, the Brooksville-born Chytka was a natural. In fact, he got so good that he began to gain something of a following among people who enjoyed his renditions of Charlie Daniels, Bob Seger and Marshall Tucker Band hits. One night, a woman stopped by to ask if Chytka would provide entertainment for an event she was organizing at Weeki Wachee Springs.
"I guess you could say that was when I got hooked," recalled Chytka, who soon after began collecting instrumental backing CDs of popular country songs by Trace Adkins, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney that he could sing along with. Before long, Chytka was in high demand to entertain at local events such as Relay For Life, Angels On High and the Citrus Opry.
Interestingly, he didn't meet Rimmer at any of those events. Rather, it was Chytka's wife, Pam, who had met Rimmer's husband at a Wal-Mart one afternoon, who initiated the first meeting between the two.
"In a small town like this, you tend to gravitate toward people who have similar interests to yours," Chytka said. "We've all become great friends."
Though the 45-year-old Chytka is content to keep music a part-time endeavor, his flexible work schedule at Bush's Pest Control enables him to take advantage of any opportunities that arise.
"I don't mind being a big fish in a little pond," he said. "My goal is to take things as they come and have as much fun doing it as possible."
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Brian Chytka and Jenny Rimmer will perform along with J.T. Curtis.
ETC: The concert is free and will also feature an antique car and hot rod show, sidewalk vendors and other activities.
WHEN: 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Hernando County Fine Arts Council's Bandshell Bash at Hernando Park, on Fort Dade Avenue in downtown Brooksville.
INFORMATION: Call 754-4788.
Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or (352) 848-1435.