For Julianne Ankley, a new song puts an extra spring in her step.

That spring represents the Port Huron, Michigan singer-songwriter and visual artist’s strong zest for life and her drive to inspire others on her new Americana single, “What Makes You Dance.”

“I didn’t even start music until later in life … and I just had to keep going. Other than raising three wonderful children, music and art are what make me the happiest … and you can’t ignore it when something makes you feel so good,” said Ankley, who’s also thankful for her boyfriend.

“Plus, it’s something that you give to the rest of the world. It’s not only making me happy, but it’s also making other people happy.”

Backed by grateful pedal steel and acoustic guitar, Ankley beautifully captures that sentiment while singing, “Just close your eyes / Grab a glass of wine / Turn the music up / It’ll all be fine / If you find what makes you dance.”

“We recorded it in the studio about a year ago right now, and we pitched it around just a little bit. Everybody loved it, but nobody put it on hold,” she said. “And I said, ‘It’s too good because I will be walking around my house singing it … and everybody needs to hear this one.’”

Fortunately, Ankley can now share “What Makes You Dance,” thanks to Nashville, Tennessee co-writer Craig Alan Eck. They teamed up to write the track two years ago after Eck said he’d like to pen a female anthem.

“This was our first attempt at writing together, and it was his idea,” she said. “He knew how I was, and he knew this was my type of anthem. He said, ‘This seems to resonate with you,’ and I said, ‘Yeah.’ He’s raising two young daughters, so he can feel it.”

Once the song was written, Ankley and Eck pitched it as a track with just guitar and vocals but soon realized a demo was needed. She headed to Nashville’s Beaird Music Group to record “What Makes You Dance” with a talented lineup of session players and engineers.

Eli Beaird (bass, session leader), Troy Lancaster (electric guitar), Pat McGrath (acoustic guitar), Steve Nathan (piano), Scotty Sanders (pedal steel), Evan Hutchings (drums), Perry Coleman (backing vocals), Rob Lane (vocal engineer), and Dave Buchannan (mixing) seamlessly infused an anthemic sound into the track. Ankley also worked with Nashville’s True East Mastering to master the single.

“I cut it a year ago right now as a demo, and then I said, ‘I’m going to release it, but I’m going to wait until spring so that it hopefully becomes a summer anthem,’” said Ankley, who grew up listening to Aretha Franklin, The Mamas & the Papas, Carole King, Dolly Parton, and Loretta Lynn.

Ghost of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse

Ankley not only inspires listeners with her music, but she also intrigues them with her captivating tales. In 2020, she included the haunting ballad “Ghost of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse” on her contemplative album, With Love From Lake Huron.

The track tells the story of a woman’s ghost that resides at Port Huron’s Fort Gratiot Lighthouse on Lake Huron. Each night, she climbs the lighthouse’s winding staircase, reflects on the life and loved ones she left behind, and cries out over the lake.

Surrounded by solemn electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, and pedal steel, Ankley sings, “Every wave of Lake Huron finds its way to the shore / And every night I climb this tower / To shine the light forever more / You’ll hear my cry forever more.”

Ankley initially penned that spooky track in 2008 at John D. Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters in northern Michigan. Lamb specifically created a prompt for Ankley about a lady ghost residing at the lighthouse.

“On the very first morning, you get your prompt, and you have to write that song within two days. It was the best thing that could have ever happened to me as far as being pushed to finish a song within two days,” she said.

“That pressure is great for me … It sends that adrenaline right to the forefront, and then I get it done. When I finished that song, people kept coming up to me and saying, “Wow!”

Ankley also captured that spellbinding feel of “Ghost of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse” in the studio while recording tracks for With Love From Lake Huron at Beaird Music Group.

Session musicians Tommy Harden (drums, percussion), Troy Lancaster (electric guitar), Billy Nobel (piano), Justin Schipper (pedal steel), Eli Beaird (bass), Pat McGrath (acoustic guitar), and Perry Coleman (backing vocals) added a cinematic, emotive sound to the track.

“They’re the top of the top,” she said. “When you go in, you sit with someone and we chart out the music. It’s either Larry Beaird or his son Eli [Beaird] … and they hand it to the musicians, and within one to two takes, that song is done.”

Last summer, Ankley brought the track to life visually with a compelling video filmed at the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. It features Ankley as the ghost climbing the lighthouse’s winding staircase and roaming the Lake Huron shoreline.

To create the video, Ankley partnered with the lighthouse staff and worked with Andrzej Milosz (director of photography), John Kim (editor), Tony Yang (post supervisor), and Todd Tremble (drone footage).

“Andrzej Milosz has shot my other music videos .. . and he’s wonderful to work with, and he has a great eye,” said Ankley, who wears a beautiful black dress and veil as the ghost in the video.

“I let him run with the shots and the scenes, and he had the vision for it. I’d sent him what I wanted as a synopsis and the storyline, and then I let him use his own vision to create that.”

As another integral part of the video’s creative process, she secured a sponsorship from the Tremble Insurance Agency to help finance the video and invited several friends to act as tourists in the video.

“I had wanted to do it for quite a while, and it was one of those things that was on my mind. I kept telling myself, ‘You gotta do it. You gotta find time and the money to do it,’” Ankley said.

“I found some sponsors that helped me do that, and my brother [Todd Tremble] was the one who shot the drone shots. It was a super great experience. Plus, how fun is it to be a grown adult and dress up in spooky clothes and go haunt a lighthouse?”

Live Shows and New Material

Outside of writing about ghosts and lighthouses, Ankley shares her growing catalog with audiences at live shows. She’s performing April 27 at The Starlight Room in Muskegon, April 29 at Freddy’s Bar & Grill in Clinton Township, and May 4 at McMorran Place Theatre in Port Huron.

“I’m going to be playing piano on a few songs and doing acoustic guitar on several things over at The Starlight Room. I’m excited about it—in some ways, it’s a little bit of a jump for me. It’s a bigger room, and I’m doing it by myself,” said Ankley, who also performs live shows frequently with her band, The Rogues.

“At McMorran Place Theatre, I’m opening up for a Brooks & Dunn tribute band. Being in front of a live audience anytime is a good time for me. I also have both solo acoustic shows and full-band shows all summer.”

When she’s not performing, Ankley plans to work on new material.

“I will have to get back to Nashville and record some more,” she said. “The goal is to release two or three singles until I’ve got more traction to create a full album. For now, I’m going to do singles for a little while.”

Show details:

Julianne Ankley: Pindrop Experience

Saturday, April 27 | 7 p.m.

The Starlight Room, 4765 Airline Road in Muskegon, Michigan

Tickets: $20 general admission, $25 reserved seating