It’s been close to three years since Newmarket-based musician Craig Werth took an unpaid leave of absence from his teaching job at the University of New Hampshire and embarked on his first tour with Canadian folk singer David Francey. When Werth accepted the gig as Francey’s sideman, he was not sure how long the collaboration would last. But he’s still touring and recording with the three-time Juno award-winning artist, making music his full-time occupation.

Werth co-produced Francey’s last studio album, “Right of Passage,” and played several instruments on the disc, including guitars, bouzouki, mandolin and mountain dulcimer. Last year, “Right of Passage” won a Juno (the Canadian version of a Grammy) for best album in the roots and traditional solo category. “I have a Juno statue in my living room as co-producer,” he said, as if still slightly surprised to have the object in his home.

Werth has now performed with the Ontario-based Francey in every Canadian province and around North America. The two toured the British Isles last fall, playing gigs mainly in England and Scotland. They have performed for audiences ranging in size from about 100 patrons at small pubs to around 10,000 people at the Vancouver Folk Festival. And they have shown no signs of slowing down.

Werth and Francey kick off a two-month tour of Australia in March, gigging everywhere from small house parties to major festivals. Proceeds from certain shows will go toward helping victims of recent brushfires that have killed hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of homes in the southeastern part of the country.

Werth and his wife Liz have long dreamed of visiting Australia, and she will join him for the last three weeks of the tour. “I just wasn’t going to go for two months without her,” he said.

Werth is also keeping busy with a number of solo projects. He again participated in the RPM Challenge this year, scrambling to complete a 10-song CD despite significant time constraints. “I recorded almost all of it in a single night,” he said. The disc includes a mix of original songs and improvisations. “I was going for the requisite 10 with some measure of creative quality, but I just wanted to be part of it. I love the idea of it,” he said of the challenge.

At least one song from Werth’s RPM effort will likely make it onto his next studio album, which he hopes to release in June. It will be his third solo album, following last year’s “Sideview,” a collection of 14 original instrumental pieces showcasing Werth’s dexterous guitar and string skills. “I’ve been dabbling with anything that makes sounds since I was a boy,” he said. “I’m not afraid to try anything new.”

Werth wrote much of “Sideview” during brief stretches of downtime while touring with Francey. For his next album, he is selecting from more than 100 unrecorded songs he’s written over the years, as well as new material he’s constantly generating. He will continue working on the concepts in Australia and return to the studio in May.

Working as a full-time accompanist and arranger with Francey has made it challenging for Werth to focus on his own music, but he still finds time to collaborate with other area musicians. His 24-year-old son Ben is another singer-songwriter, and the two occasionally perform together. Werth also contributed a few six-word songs for an RPM project by local singer-songwriter Guy Capecelatro III (Capecelatro, prolific artist that he is, participated in five CDs for the 2009 RPM Challenge).

Regular touring has enabled Werth to spread his own music to a wider audience. In addition to performing alongside Francey, he usually does a solo set at each show. The concerts have helped him build confidence as an individual performer and overcome the initial butterflies of performing with an established star.

Werth had never heard of Francey until local musician Harvey Reid encouraged him to check Francey out at a show in York, Maine. “I was just blown away by the guy’s writing,” Werth said. “It was just some of the best stuff I’d ever heard in my life.” 

The two exchanged CDs and began an email correspondence, each expressing mutual admiration for the other’s work. Francey eventually invited Werth to come up to Newfoundland and play with him at some pubs. Werth and his wife made the trip, and the long-term musical affiliation was born. They sealed their relationship when Francey served as an instructor at the Writers in the Round retreat on Star Island off the New Hampshire coast several years ago (Werth will be a songwriting faculty member at this year’s retreat).

During the course of their tours, Werth and Francey have tightened their friendship. Everywhere they travel, he said, they check out as many local sites as they can, visiting museums and taking photographs of marinas and docks. Both are amateur photographers, and Francey has a special fondness for ships. “That’s another great compatibility of our friendship,” Werth said. “He’s just a great pal of mine now.”

They also both enjoy connecting with their fans and meeting people in foreign locales. “For shows of any modest size, we’re there until the last person goes home. We’re talking to somebody or signing something,” he said.

Like Francey, who began touring while in his 40s, Werth launched his career as a touring artist relatively late in life. Although he has been playing music for most a long time, he worked at UNH for well over 20 years before doing his first extended tour. Now 53, he credits his wife with encouraging him to live out a dream that many musical aspirants give up when they are still in high school or college. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have 100 percent of her support,” he said.

Werth still marvels at the fact that he’s been able to make a living off of music for the past three years. He does not plan on returning to a typical day job any time soon. “This is it. My full-time job comes from music at this point. … That seems like magic to me, that we’re still paying the bills and doing OK,” he said. “We just took a leap and we haven’t hit the ground.”