When Stephen Fearing and Andy White met at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 1998, Fearing intended to just say “Hi.”

“Often at those festivals, that’s about all you say, ‘Hey man. I really like your music,’ and that’s as far as it goes, but because we both grew up in Ireland – he grew up in Belfast and I grew up in Dublin – we had a lot in common and there was lots to chat about, so we just became fast friends,” said Fearing, a Canadian folk singer-songwriter who grew up in Dublin and now lives in Halifax, N.S.

White is a Irish singer-songwriter who now lives in Australia. 

After meeting in 1998, the two men found themselves meeting up about once a year when White would make his way back to Canada for a tour.

One year, Fearing and some friends decided to learn some of White’s songs, so they could accompany him on stage for a few shows.

“He came through; we played four or five shows; it was fun, then we said goodbye,” and that’s how it continued for the next few years: White touring and Fearing hopping on stage with him, then saying goodbye. 

“Then he and I started saying, ‘Gee, we should write a song.’”

So the next time they met, the two musicians sat down together and wrote If I Catch You Crying, a song that has been recorded by White and by Fearing’s band Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.

“I thought it was such a strong song that I was really sad he was taking off. But it kind of went like that. Every year we would get together and write two or three songs and demo them really fast at a friends’ studio and then I wouldn’t see him again for eight months,” said Fearing. 

“Initially, writing songs was just something that we did for fun, you know, some people get together and play chess or go drinking, we got together and wrote songs and it was an activity that was mutually enjoyable for both of us.”

But what began as just an enjoyable pastime, resulted in an albums worth of great songs. So the long-time friends decided to make a commitment to their music by releasing their debut album Fearing and White, which was released in March 2010 after a decade of sporadic writing and recording.

Since the release, the duo has toured through British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the United Kingdom.

Their latest tour begins Saturday in Edmonton and will bring them to the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

They will be playing “98 per cent” Fearing and White songs, along with a couple Stephen Fearing songs and a couple Andy White songs.

“The idea is we want to really make sure that everybody understands this is not Stephen Fearing with Andy White or Stephen Fearing and Andy White, it’s Fearing and White. It’s a separate entity and as such we have a body of work that we want to perform together.”

Although this is Fearing and White’s first time playing in Jasper, it’s not Fearing’s first time.

He has performed more than once at the Jasper Folk Festival, both solo and with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.

He said he’s looking forward to coming back, especially so White can see more of the Rocky Mountains.

“Anytime we’ve driven and played through that region, Andy’s eyes are just popping out of his head because he’s not used to the Rockies. So seeing them in January is going to be pretty exciting.”

To learn more about Fearing and White, visit  www.fearingandwhite.com. Or to see them play, check out the Royal Canadian Legion Jan. 24 at 8 p.m.