Winners of the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards

Winner for the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards were announced on September 13 at an Industry Gala Dinner and a televised event on Saturday, September 14.

Below is a complete list of winner. Local musicians are bolded.

• Drummer of the Year: Rich DaSilva (Cambridge)
• Entertainer of the Year : Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Fiddle Player of the Year: Linsey Beckett (Brantford)
• Innovative Campaign of the Year : “Blinding Lights” Case Study (Tebey - Burlington)
• Male Artist of the Year: Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Musical Collaboration of the Year: Honky Tonkin’ About – The Reklaws (Cambridge), Drake Milligan
  
  
  
  Links: Reklaws, More Reklaws Stories, Drake Milligan, Video above courtesy of The Reklaws
  
  
• Radio Station of the Year (Medium or Small Market): CFWC-FM (Brantford, ON)
• Single of the Year: Trouble – Josh Ross (Waterdown)
  
  
  
  Links: Josh Ross, More Josh Ross Stories, Video above courtesy of JOSH ROSS
  
  
• Specialty Instrument Player of the Year: Shane Guse (Western Swing Authority) (Waterloo)
• Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year: Complicated – Josh Ross
• Album of the Year: Do It Anyway – Jade Eagleson
• Alternative Country Album of the Year: The Compass Project: West Album – Brett Kissel
• Bass Player of the Year: Lisa Jacobs
• Booking Agency of the Year: Paquin Entertainment Group
• Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year: Owen Riegling
• Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame® Inductees: Gilles Godard & k.d. lang 
• Country Club of the Year: King Eddy (Calgary, AB)
• Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year: Boots and Hearts Music Festival (Oro-Medonte, ON)
• Country Music Program or Special of the Year: Boomers Canadian Club (Rogers Sports & Media)
• Country Radio Personality(ies) of the Year: Jackie Rae Greening (CFCW)
• Creative Team or Designer of the Year: Design Team: Bronwin Parks (Feisty Creative)
• Fans’ Choice: James Barker Band
• Female Artist of the Year: MacKenzie Porter
• Group or Duo of the Year: James Barker Band
• Guitar Player of the Year (Tie): Chris Bray, Brennan Wall
• Humanitarian Award: Lindsay Ell
• Industry Person of the Year: Lindsay Hyslop (BBR Music Group)
• Keyboard Player of the Year: Brendan Waters
• Management Company of the Year: The Core Entertainment
• Music Publishing Company of the Year: Big Loud Publishing
• Radio Station of the Year (Large Market): CKGY-FM (Red Deer, AB)
• Record Company of the Year: Big Loud Records
• Recording Studio of the Year: MCC Recording Studio (Calgary, AB)
• Record Producer(s) of the Year: Joey Moi
• Retailer or Commercial Platform of the Year: Apple Music
• Songwriter(s) of the Year: Old Dirt Roads - Owen Riegling
• Steel Guitar Player of the Year: Matt McKay
• Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year: Brooke Dunford (Republic Live)
• Top Selling Album of the Year: One Thing At A Time – Morgan Wallen
• Video Director of the Year: Ryan Nolan
• Video of the Year: Chasing Tornadoes – MacKenzie Porter
  
  
  
  Links: Mackenzie Porter, More Mackenzie Porter Stories, Video above courtesy of MacKenzie Porter

Links: Canadian Country Music Association, More CCMA Stories

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Nominees for the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards, Including Local Musicians

As always, there were many local musicians among the nominees for the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards. The main awards ceremony will be broadcast on TV on Saturday, September 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET through CTV. 

Two categories, Fans' Choice & Breakthrough Artist or Group, are voted on by the public. Click here to vote.

Below is a complete list of nominees. Local musicians are bolded.

Album of the Year 

• Complicated – Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Dallas Smith – Dallas Smith
• Do It Anyway – Jade Eagleson
• Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart – MacKenzie Porter
• Spillin’ My Truth – Tyler Joe Miller

Alternative Country Album of the Year

• 12 to 6 Central – The Western Swing Authority (Waterloo)
  
  
  
  Links: Western Swing Authority, More WSA Stories, Video above courtesy of TheWSAmusic
  
  
• BOOTCUT – Bahamas
• The Compass Project: West Album – Brett Kissel
• Stand In The Joy – William Prince
• A Way Through Time – JJ Shiplett

Creative Team or Designer of the Year

• Design Team: Mitchell Nevins (Guelph)
  EP: Burning Down The Barn (Artist: Hunter Brothers)
  Single: Yee To The Haw by Tim Hicks (St. Catharines)
  Albums: Throw Down (Deluxe Remastered – 10th Anniversary), Campfire Troubador Vol. 2, Talk To Time (Deluxe) by Tim Hicks (St. Catharines)
  Singles: The Way You Lie, This House by Dayna Reid
  
  
• Design Team: Dan Davidson, Travis Nesbitt
  Album: Nineteen Eighty Something by Dan Davidson
  
  
• Design Team: Kyle McKearney, Roberta Landreth, Chris Doi, Jeff Ojeda
  Single: Lonesome by Kyle McKearney
  
  
• Design Team: Bronwin Parks (Feisty Creative)
  Singles: Intruder, Flowers by Amanda Rheaume
  Album: Fire It Up by Gord Bamford
  EP: Ahead of Our Time by James Barker Ban
  Single: On The Water by James Barker Band ft. Dalton Dover
  Single: Things I Wish I Didn’t Know by Nice Horse
  
  
• Design Team: Michelle Spice, Joanne Howard (Michelle Spice Photography & Small Dog Design)
  Single: The Country Kind by Chad Brownlee

Entertainer of the Year 

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Jade Eagleson
• MacKenzie Porter
• Owen Riegling

Fans’ Choice (CLICK HERE TO VOTE)

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• High Valley
• James Barker Band
• Tyler Joe Miller
• Steven Lee Olsen
• MacKenzie Porter
• Dallas Smith

Fiddle Player of the Year 

• Tyler Beckett (Brantford)
• Linsey Beckett (Brantford)
• Denis Dufresne
• Julie Kennedy
• Mike Sanyshyn

Group or Duo of the Year

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• High Valley
• Hunter Brothers
• James Barker Band
• The Washboard Union

Innovative Campaign of the Year 

• “Blinding Lights” Case Study (Tebey - Burlington)
• “Country Dance” Line Dance Campaign (Aaron Goodvin)
• “Do It Anyway” Album Setup & Release Campaign (Jade Eagleson)
• Festival Launch Campaign (Boots and Hearts Music Festival)
• “Right Round Here” Album Setup & Release Campaign, Canadian Tour of the Same Name (Dean Brody)

Male Artist of the Year

• Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• Owen Riegling
• Dallas Smith

Musical Collaboration of the Year

• Honky Tonkin’ About – The Reklaws (Cambridge), Drake Milligan
  
• Cowboy Boots (feat. Gord Bamford) – Chris Buck Band, Gord Bamford
• Day After Day – Dallas Smith, Shawn Austin
• Take Me Backroad – Tim & The Glory Boys feat. High Valley
• Two of Us – Brett Kissel, Cooper Alan

Radio Station of the Year (Medium or Small Market)

• CFWC-FM (Brantford, ON)
• CHCQ-FM (Belleville, ON)
• CJGX-940 (Yorkton, SK)
• CKGY-FM (Red Deer, AB)
• CKXC-FM (Kingston, ON)

Radio Station of the Year (Large Market)

• CHKX-FM (Hamilton, ON)
• CFCW (Edmonton, AB)
• CJJR-FM (Vancouver, BC)
• CJKX-FM (Oshawa, ON)
• CKKL-FM (Ottawa, ON)

Record Producer(s) of the Year 

• Jeff Dalziel
  Single: Won’t Forget by Dan Davidson, Tim Hicks (St. Catharines), Max Jackson
  Single: Mind Of Its Own by New Moon Junction
  
  
• Gavin Slate 
  Single: Feel Like Home by Karli June feat. Ryan Langdon (Welland)
  
  
• Danick Dupelle
  Single: Hold Your Horses by Tebey (Burlington)
  Album: Spillin’ My Truth by Tyler Joe Miller),
  Single: Broken Man by Tyler Joe Miller)
  
  
• Joey Moi
  Album: Dallas Smith by Dallas Smith
  Album: One Thing At A Time by Morgan Wallen
  
  
• Dan Swinimer
  Single: Never Have I Ever by Elyse Saunders
  Single: Whiskey In Colorado by Tony Stevens

Single of the Year

• Trouble – Josh Ross (Waterdown)
  
  
  
  Links: Josh Ross, More Josh Ross Stories, Video above courtesy of JOSH ROSS
  
  
• Chasing Tornadoes – MacKenzie Porter
• Meet Your Mama – James Barker Band
• Outta Yours – Steven Lee Olsen
• Rodeo Queen – Jade Eagleson

Specialty Instrument Player of the Year

• Shane Guse (Western Swing Authority) (Waterloo)
• Denis Dufresne
• Johnny Gasparic
• Tyler Vollrath

Steel Guitar Player of the Year

• Chris Altmann (Hamilton)
• Doug Johnson
• Matt McKay
• Kevin Neal
• Marcus Ramsay

Video Director of the Year

• Ben Knechtel (Cambridge), Chad Tennies, Mac Grant
• Stephano Barberis
• Codi McIvor
• Travis Nesbitt
• Ryan Nolan

Video of the Year 

• Honky Tonkin’ About – The Reklaws (Cambridge), Drake Milligan
  
  
  
  Links: Video above courtesy of The Reklaws
  
  
• Chasing Tornadoes – MacKenzie Porter
• Take Me Backroad – Tim & The Glory Boys ft. High Valley
• Trouble Is – The Prairie States
• Two of Us – Brett Kissel & Cooper Alan

Bass Player of the Year

• Lisa Dodd
• Lisa Jacobs
• Justin Kudding
• Ben Miller
• Holt Stuart-Hitchcox

Booking Agency of the Year 

• Fame Group Agency
• The Feldman Agency
• Invictus Entertainment Group
• Paquin Entertainment Group
• Sakamoto Agency

Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year (CLICK HERE TO VOTE)

• Hailey Benedict
• Dax
• Teigen Gayse
• Matt Lang
• Owen Riegling

Country Club of the Year

• Cook County Saloon (Edmonton, AB)
• King Eddy (Calgary, AB)
• Ranchman’s Cookhouse and Dancehall (Calgary, AB)

Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year

• Big Valley Jamboree (Camrose, AB)
• Boots and Hearts Music Festival (Oro-Medonte, ON)
• Calgary Stampede (Calgary, AB)
• Cavendish Beach Music Festival (Cavendish, PEI)
• LASSO Montreal (Montreal, QC)

Country Music Program or Special of the Year

• Boomers Canadian Club (Rogers Sports & Media)
• Heartstrings & Honkytonks (CFCW & SILVERPLOW Productions)
• Home For The Holidays with High Valley (Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.)
• Jess Moskaluke’s Winter Wonderland Radio Special (Gunfighter Productions)
• A Washboard Union Christmas Special (Washboard Union Prod Inc)

Country Radio Personality(ies) of the Year

• Wendy Boomer (CKBY-FM)
• Dan Davidson & Stella Stevens (CFCW)
• Shannon Ella (Pure Country)
• Jackie Rae Greening (CFCW)
• Gregg Reynolds & Josie Balka (CKRY-FM)

Drummer of the Year 

• Matthew Atkins
• Spencer Cheyne
• Flavio Cirillo
• Rich DaSilva
• Brendan Lyons

Female Artist of the Year 

• Lindsay Ell
• Madeline Merlo
• MacKenzie Porter
• Tenille Townes
• Alli Walker

Guitar Player of the Year 

• Chris Bray
• Russell Broom
• Jay Buettner
• Ryan Davidson
• Brennan Wall

Industry Person of the Year

• Warren Copnick (Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.)
• Lindsay Hyslop (BBR Music Group)
• Amanda Kingsland (Universal Music Canada)
• Samantha Pickard (Strut Entertainment)
• Bobby Wills (Willing Entertainment)

Keyboard Player of the Year

• Matt Koebel
• Brendon Schmidt
• Brendan Waters

Management Company of the Year

• Big Loud Management
• The Core Entertainment
• Invictus Entertainment Group
• Starseed Entertainment
• Willing Entertainment

Music Publishing Company of the Year

• Anthem Entertainment Group
• Big Loud Publishing
• Sony Music Canada Publishing
• Universal Music Publishing Canada
• Warner Chappell Music Canada

Record Company of the Year

• Big Loud Records
• Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
• Starseed Records
• Universal Music Canada
• Willing Records

Recording Studio of the Year

• 80A Studios (Toronto, ON)
• Barrytone Studios (Miramichi, NB)
• MCC Recording Studio (Calgary, AB)
• OCL Studios (Chestermere, AB)
• Revolution Recording (Toronto, ON)

Retailer or Commercial Platform of the Year

• Amazon Music
• Apple Music
• Spotify Canada Inc.

Songwriter(s) of the Year

• Country Dance (Artist: Aaron Goodvin) – Aaron Goodvin, Catt Gravitt, Skip Black
• Hey Mom I Made It (Artist: Sacha) – Sacha Visagie, Shawn Chambliss, Jake Saghi
• Old Dirt Roads (Artist: Owen Riegling) – Owen Riegling
• Rodeo Queen (Artist: Jade Eagleson) – Jade Eagleson, Daryl Scott
• Whiskey In Colorado (Artist: Tony Stevens) – Tony Stevens, Dan Swinimer, Wes Mack, David Borys

Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year

• Paul Biro (Sakamoto Agency)
• Dan Clapson (Blue Jay Sessions)
• Jim Cressman (Invictus Entertainment Group)
• Brooke Dunford (Republic Live)
• Adam Oppenheim (Stampede Entertainment)

Links: Canadian Country Music Association, More CCMA Stories

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2023 Canadian Country Music Award Winners

The 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards were celebrated throughout Hamilton September 14-16. 

Below is the complete list of winners. Local acts are bolded.

• Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year: Josh Ross (Waterdown)
  
  
  
  Links: Josh Ross, More Josh Ross Stories, Video above courtesy of JOSH ROSS
  
  
• Creative Team or Designer of the Year: Design Team: Austin Chaffe (The Reklaws - Cambridge)
• Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year: Good Ol’ Days – The Reklaws (Cambridge)
  
  
  
  Links: Reklaws, More Reklaws Stories, Video above courtesy of The Reklaws
  
  
• Album of the Year: Tim & The Glory Boys – Tim & The Glory Boys
• Alternative Country Album of the Year: A Traveler’s Lament – Kyle McKearney
• Bass Player of the Year: Justin Kudding
• Booking Agency of the Year: Sakamoto Agency
• Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees: Brian Edwards (Stan Klees Builder) / Jason McCoy (Artist)
• Country Club of the Year: The King Eddy (Calgary, AB)
• Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year: Boots And Hearts Music Festival (Oro-Medonte, ON)
• Country Music Program or Special of the Year: Christmas Time with Tenille Townes 2022 (Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc)
• Country Personalitie(s) of the Year: Wendy Boomer (CKBY-FM)
• Drummer of the Year: Rich DaSilva
• Entertainer of the Year: Jade Eagleson
• Fans’ Choice: James Barker Band
• Female Artist of the Year: Tenille Townes
• Fiddle Player of the Year: Julie Kennedy
• Group or Duo of the Year: James Barker Band
• Guitar Player of the Year: Brennan Wall
• Industry Person of the Year: Warren Copnick (Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc)
• Innovative Campaign of the Year: “She Don’t Know” Wedding Contest – (Jade Eagleson)
• Keyboard Player of the Year: Brendan Waters
• Male Artist of the Year: Jade Eagleson
• Management Company of the Year: The Core Entertainment
• Musical Collaboration of the Year: Do This Life – High Valley, Alison Krauss / One Too – Dallas Smith & MacKenzie Porter
• Music Humanitarian Award: Dean Brody
• Music Publishing Company of the Year: Big Loud Publishing
• Radio Station of the Year (Medium or Small Market): CHCQ-FM (Belleville, ON)
• Radio Station of the Year (Large Market): CJJR-FM (Vancouver, BC)
• Record Company of the Year: Big Loud Records
• Record Producer(s) of the Year: Danick Dupelle
• Recording Studio of the Year: MCC Recording Studio (Calgary, AB)
• Retailer or Commercial Platform of the Year: Spotify Canada Inc.
• Single of the Year: Right On Time – Lindsay Ell
• Songwriter(s) of the Year : The Thing That Wrecks You (Artist: Tenille Townes feat. Bryan Adams) - Bryan Adams, Daniel Tashian, Tenille Townes, Kate York
• Speciality Instrument of the Year: Mitch Jay
• Steel Guitar Player of the Year: Doug Johnson
• Talent Buyer of the Year: Brooke Dunford (Republic Live)
• Top Selling Album of the Year: One Thing At A Time – Morgan Wallen
• Top Selling Canadian Single: Dear Alcohol – Dax
• Video Director of the Year: Travis Nesbitt
• Video of the Year: Float – Tim & The Glory Boys
  
  
  
  Links: Tim & the Glory Boys, Video above courtesy Tim & The Glory Boys

Links: Canadian Country Music Association, More CCMA Stories

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Local 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards Nominees + Full List

Not only were local artist well-represented at the 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards nominees list but the CCMA events will take place in the Hammer on September 14-16 this year! The awards show itself will be hosted at the FirstOntario Centre on Saturday, September 16.

Below is the complete list of nominees. Local acts are bolded.

Click here for the winners

Album of the Year 

• Talk To Time – Tim Hicks (St. Catharines)
• Good Ol’ Days -The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Four Good Years – Andrew Hyatt
• Planes Don’t Wait – Shawn Austin
• Tim & The Glory Boys – Tim & The Glory Boys

Fans’ Choice 

• Tim Hicks (St. Catharines)
• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• High Valley
• James Barker Band
• Brett Kissel
• Dallas Smith
• Tenille Townes

Male Artist of the Year

• Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• Brett Kissel
• Dallas Smith

Group or Duo of the Year

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• High Valley
• Hunter Brothers
• James Barker Band
• Tim & The Glory Boys

Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year

• Josh Ross (Waterdown)
• Nate Haller (Waterloo)
• Dax
• Griffen Palmer
• Orville Peck

Musical Collaboration of the Year 

• 11 Beers – The Reklaws (Cambridge) feat. Jake Owen
• Do This Life – High Valley, Alison Krauss
• I Ain’t Drunk – Gord Bamford ft. Terri Clark
• Never Met A Beer – Tyler Joe Miller, Matt Lang
• One Too – Dallas Smith & MacKenzie Porter

Alternative Country Album of the Year

• I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying – Whitehorse (Hamilton)
• Come Morning – The Bros. Landreth
• Surprise Party – Mallory Johnson
• Time Traveller – Jason Benoit
• A Traveler’s Lament – Kyle McKearney

Single of the Year

• 11 Beers – The Reklaws (Cambridge) feat. Jake Owen
  
  
  
  Links: Reklaws, More Reklaws Stories, Jake Owen, Video above courtesy of The Reklaws
  
  
• On A Different Night – Josh Ross
• Right On Time – Lindsay Ell
• Wastin’ Whiskey – James Barker Band
• Where’d You Learn How To Do That – Dean Brody
• Wild As Her – Tyler Joe Miller

Songwriter(s) of the Year 

• Trouble (Artist: Josh Ross - Waterdown) – Josh Ross, Mason Thornley
• Back To Drinkin’ Whiskey (Artist: Tyler Joe Miller) - Kelly Archer, Danick Dupelle, Tyler Joe Miller
• Float (Artist: Tim & The Glory Boys) - Rodney Clawson, Tim Neufeld, Allen Salmon
• Greatest Show On Dirt (Artist: Meghan Patrick) - Trannie Anderson, Matt McGinn, Jake Mitchell, Meghan Patrick
• The Thing That Wrecks You (Artist: Tenille Townes feat. Bryan Adams) - Bryan Adams, Daniel Tashian, Tenille Townes, Kate York

Video of the Year

• Trouble – Josh Ross - (Waterdown)
  
  
  
  Links: Josh Ross, More Josh Ross Stories, Video above courtesy of JOSH ROSS
  
  
• Float – Tim & The Glory Boys
• One Too – Dallas Smith & MacKenzie Porter
• She Don’t Know – Jade Eagleson
• The Thing That Wrecks You – Tenille Townes feat. Bryan Adams

Guitar Player of the Year

• Jeff Brown (Burlington)
• Ryan Davidson
• Johnny Gasparic
• Chad Murphy
• Brennan Wall

Steel Guitar Player of the Year

• Chris Altmann (Hamilton)
• Michael Eckert
• Doug Johnson
• Marcus Ramsay

Fiddle Player of the Year

• Tyler Beckett (Brantford)
• Denis Dufresne
• Julie Kennedy
• Ben Rutz
• Mike Sanyshyn

Speciality Instrument of the Year

• Shane Guse (Waterloo)
• Johnny Gasparic
• Mitch Jay

Creative Team or Designer of the Year

• Design Team: Mitchell Nevins (Guelph)
  Album: Talk To Time (Artist: Tim Hicks - St. Catharines)
  Tour Poster: Zero To Sixty Tour (Artist: Tim Hicks)
  Album: Back To The Trailer, Marketing Assets (Artist: Dayna Reid)
  
  
• Design Team: Austin Chaffe
  Album Marketing: Good Ol’ Days (Artist: The Reklaws - Cambridge)
  Merch: (Artist: The Reklaws)
  Single: Beer Me (Artist: James Barker Band)
  Shakin’ In Them Boots (Artist: Jade Eagleson)
  Marketing Campaign: Dean Brody x NHLPA (Artist: Dean Brody)
  Tour Marketing/Live Show Element: Northern Anthem (Artist: Dean Brody)
  Brand Launch: EPK (Artist: Griffen Palmer)
  
  
• Design Team: Devin Cooper, Chad Murphy
  Album: Good Things Deluxe Album Package
  Brand Guide, Limited Edition Record Book (Artist: Devin Cooper)
  
  
• Design Team: Chris Doi, Roberta Landreth, Kyle McKearney, Jeff Ojeda
  Album, single art: A Traveler’s Lament (Artist: Kyle McKearney)
  
  
• Design Team: Brandon Ferguson, Lloyd Norman
  Some Things Never Change Tour, Tour Photography Album, Tour Videography Assets, Tour Merch Promo (Artists: Dallas Smith, Shawn Austin, Jojo Mason, Andrew Hyatt, Kelly Prescott)

Record Producer(s) of the Year

• Jeff Coplan, Deric Ruttan – Album: Talk To Time (Artist: Tim Hicks)
• Russell Broom, Kyle McKearney – Album: A Traveler’s Lament (Artist: Kyle McKearney)
• Scott Cooke – Album: Four Good Years (Artist: Andrew Hyatt)
• Danick Dupelle – Single: Back To Drinkin’ Whiskey (Artist: Tyler Joe Miller), Single: Never Met A Beer (Artist: Tyler Joe Miller, Matt Lang)
• Joey Moi – Single: One Too (Artist: Dallas Smith, MacKenzie Porter)

Video Director of the Year

• Ben Knechtel (Cambridge)
• AJ Astle
• Travis Nesbitt
Ryan Nolan
• OUDi (Crystal Leigh)

Radio Station of the Year (Large Market)

• CHKX-FM (Hamilton, ON)
• CFCW (Edmonton, AB)
• CJJR-FM (Vancouver, BC)
• CKDK-FM (London, ON)
• CKKL-FM (Ottawa, ON)

Country Personalitie(s) of the Year

• Toff & Melissa (CHKX-FM- Hamilton)
• Wendy Boomer (CKBY-FM)
• Shannon Ella (Pure Country)
• Paul McGuire (Stingray)
• Greg Shannon & Stella Stevens (CFCW)

Entertainer of the Year 

• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• Dallas Smith
• Tenille Townes
• Shania Twain

Female Artist of the Year 

• Tenille Arts
• Lindsay Ell
• MacKenzie Porter
• Tenille Townes
• Shania Twain

Bass Player of the Year

• Lisa Dodd Watts
• Lisa Jacobs
• Justin Kudding
• Mark Rynkun
• Holt Stuart Hitchcox

Drummer of the Year

• Matthew Atkins
• Flavio Cirillo
• Rich DaSilva
• Brendan Lyons
• Greg Williamson

Keyboard Player of the Year

• Matt Koebel
• Brendon Schmidt
• Brendan Waters
• Scott Wilkinson

Radio Station of the Year (Medium or Small Market)

• CHCQ-FM (Belleville, ON)
• CJXL-FM (Moncton, NB)
• CKGY-FM (Red Deer, AB)
• CKLJ-FM (Olds, AB)
• CKXC-FM (Kingston, ON)

Booking Agency of the Year

• Action Entertainment Collaborative
• The Feldman Agency
• Invictus Entertainment Group
• Paquin Artists Agency
• Sakamoto Agency

Country Club of the Year

• Cook County Saloon (Edmonton, AB)
• The King Eddy (Calgary, AB)
• Ranchman’s Cookhouse and Dancehall (Calgary, AB)
• Rock ‘N’ Horse Saloon (Toronto, ON)

Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year

• Big Valley Jamboree (Camrose, AB)
• Boots And Hearts Music Festival (Oro-Medonte, ON)
• Calgary Stampede (Calgary, AB)
• Cavendish Beach Music Festival (Cavendish, PEI)
• LASSO Montreal (Montreal, QC)

Country Music Program or Special of the Year

• Boomers Canadian Club (Rogers Digital Media)
• Canada’s Country Radio (Apple Music)
• Christmas Time with Tenille Townes 2022 (Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc)
• The Road Less Travelled (Stingray)
• A Washboard Union Christmas Special (Washboard Union Prod Inc)

Management Company of the Year

• Big Loud Management
• The Core Entertainment
• MDM Artist Management Services
• Simkin Artist Management
• Starseed Entertainment

Music Publishing Company of the Year

• Anthem Entertainment Group
• Big Loud Publishing
• Sony Music Publishing
• Universal Music Publishing
• Warner Chappell Music Canada

Record Company of the Year

• Big Loud Records
• MDM Recordings Inc.
• Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
• Universal Music Canada
• Warner Music Canada

Industry Person of the Year

• Paul Biro (Sakamoto Agency)
• Warren Copnick (Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc)
• Mike Denney (MDM Recordings Inc.)
• Brianne Deslippe (Big Loud Records)
• Amanda Kingsland (Universal Music Canada)

Recording Studio of the Year

• Barrytone Studios (Miramichi, NB)
• Bart McKay Productions (Saskatoon, SK)
• MCC Recording Studio (Calgary, AB)
• OCL Studios (Chestermere, AB)
• Revolution Recording (Toronto, ON)

Retailer or Commercial Platform of the Year

• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
• Spotify Canada Inc.

Talent Buyer of the Year

• Paul Biro (Sakamoto Agency)
• Dan Clapson (Blue Jay Sessions)
• Jim Cressman (Invictus Entertainment Group)
• Brooke Dunford (Republic Live)
• Adam Oppenheim (Stampede Entertainment)

Innovative Campaign of the Year

• “Let ‘Em Lie” Release Highlights – (Kyle McKearney & Don Amero)
• Mastering of “Master of Puppets” – (Hailey Benedict)
• “She Don’t Know” Wedding Contest – (Jade Eagleson)
• “Surprise Party” Album Release – (Mallory Johnson)
• “What Colour You Drive” Content and Fan Contest – (Hunter Brothers)

Links: Canadian Country Music Association, More CCMA Stories

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2023 Juno Nominees (including tons of local acts)

Nominees for the 2023 Junos were recently announced and lots of local artists are in the running. Good luck on March 12-13 during the ceremony in Edmonton.

Below is a complete list of winners. Local acts are bolded.

Adult Contemporary Album

• He Sang She Sang - Marc Jordan & Amy Sky (released on Waterdown's Linus Entertainment)
• Adventure Book - Francois Klark 
• Descendant - Jann Arden 
• Higher - Michael Bublé 
• A Tyler Shaw Christmas - Tyler Shaw 

Alternative Album

• Sewn Back Together - OMBIIGIZI (Hamilton)
  
  
  
  Video above courtesy of Arts & Crafts
  
  
• Blue Rev - Alvvays 
• Duality - Luna Li 
• THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND - PUP 
• Tongues - Tanya Tagaq 

Blues Album

• Thanks For Tomorrow - Harrison Kennedy (Hamilton) 
• Preach To My Soul - Spencer Mackenzie (Fort Erie)
• Midnight Blues - Crystal Shawanda (Released on Waterdown's True North Records)
• Long River - Angelique Francis 
• Live at the King Eddy - The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer 

Breakthrough Group

• Harm & Ease (Burlington)
• Banx & Ranx 
• Rare Americans 
• Tommy Lefroy 
• Wild Rivers 

Children's Album

• Say Hello - Jeremy and Jazzy (Hamilton)
• Vol. 2 - Walk off the Earth & Romeo Eats (Burlington)
• Nice to Meet You - Beppie 
• I Am Love - Splash’N Boots
• Maestro Fresh Wes Presents: Julia the Great Young Maestro and Keysha 

Classical Album (Large Ensemble)

• Radiant Dawn: Music for Advent and Christmas The Elora Singers, conducted by Mark Vuorinen (Elora)
  
  
  
  Video above courtesy of Various Artists - Topic

• Clara – Robert – Johannes: Lyrical Echoes Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Shelley 
• Handel: Messiah, HWV 56 Ensemble Caprice, Ensemble Vocal Arts-Quebec, conducted by Matthias Maute, featuring Karina Gauvin 
• Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen – Arvo Pärt: Symphonie No. 4, “Los Angeles” I Musici de Montréal, conducted by Jean-Marie Zeitouni 
• Viola Borealis Orchestre de l’Agora, conducted by Nicolas Ellis, featuring Marina Thibeault 

Contemporary Roots Album

• O Glory - Blackie and The Rodeo Kings (Hamilton, Guelph)
• That Was You and Me - Fortunate Ones 
• Hold on to Love - Shakura S’Aida Independent
• Come Morning - The Bros. Landreth 
• House of Dreams - The East Pointers

Country Album

• Good Ol’ Days - The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Way Back - High Valley 
• Honkytonk Revival - Jade Eagleson 
• Bronco - Orville Peck 
• Masquerades -  Tenille Townes 

Dance Recording

• Spiral - Rezz (Niagara Falls)
• Afterglow - Bob Moses and Kasablanca 
• Shinigami Eyes - Grimes 
• These Nights feat. KIDDO - Loud Luxury 
• CTRL + ALT + DEL - Rêve 

Electronic Album

• Nightmare on Rezz Street 2 Mix - Rezz (Niagara Falls)
• NOT OK - Mecha Maiko 
• Spectrums - Odonis 
• Synthetic Season One - Rich Aucoin 
• Interior - Teen Daze 

Fan Choice 

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Avril Lavigne 
• Lauren Spence-Smith 
• MacKenzie Porter 
• Preston Pablo 
• Rêve
• Shawn Mendes 
• Tate McRae 
• The Weeknd 
• Tyler Shaw 

Group

• Arkells (Hamilton)
• Reklaws (Cambrige)
• Arcade Fire 
• Billy Talent 
• Metric

Instrumental Album

• Canadiana - Canadian Brass (Released on Waterdown's Linus Entertainment)
• Everything Was Forever Until It Was No More - Esmerine 
• Iguana - Hard Rubber Orchestra 
• aubades - Jean-Michel Blais 
• Lionheart - Stephan Moccio 

Producer

• Murda Beatz (Fort Erie)
• Akeel Henry 
• Banx & Ranx
• KAYTRANADA
• Mike Wise

Rap Single

• Been Himma - Dom Vallie (Kitchener)
  
  
  
  Video above courtesy of Dom Vallie
  
  
• Alejandro Sosa - 6ixbuzz and Pengz 
• Wrath - Freddie Dredd
• Twin Flame - KAYTRANADA and Anderson .Paak
• Wrong Decisions - NAV 

Vocal Jazz Album

• blue - Diana Panton (Hamilton)
• Featuring - Caity Gyorgy 
• Venez donc chez moi - Laura Anglade and Sam Kirmayer 
• Nikki By Starlight - Nikki Yanofsky 
• The Ostara Project - The Ostara Project 

Adult Alternative Album

• Born Losers - Altameda
• The Garden - Basia Bulat 
• Being Somewhere - Dan Mangan 
• Colder Streams - The Sadies 
• How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars - The Weather Station 

Album

• WHO HURT YOU? - Ali Gatie
• Love Sux - Avril Lavigne 
• Demons Protected By Angels - NAV 
• i used to think i could fly - Tate McRae 
• Dawn FM - The Weeknd 

Album Artwork

• Emy Storey (Art Director, Designer, & Photographer), Becca McFarlane and Pamela Littky (Photographer): CRYBABY – Tegan and Sara 
• Ian Ilavsky (Art Director & Designer), Maciek Szczerbowski (Illustrator): EVERYTHING WAS FOREVER UNTIL IT WAS NO MORE – Esmerine 
• Jud Haynes (Art Director & Designer): KUBASONGS – Kubasonics 
• Kee Avil (Art Director), Lawrence Fafard (Photographer): CREASE – Kee Avil 
• Lights (Art Director & Illustrator), Virgilio Tzaj (Designer), Matt Barnes (Photographer): PEP – Lights 

Artist

• Avril Lavigne 
• Lauren Spencer-Smith
• Michael Bublé 
• Shawn Mendes
• The Weeknd 

Breakthrough Artist

• Dax 
• Devon Cole 
• Preston Pablo 
• RealestK 
• Rêve

Classical Album (Small Ensemble) 

• Nagamo - Andrew Balfour and musica intima 
• Hemsi: Chamber Works - ARC Ensemble 
• Vagues et ombres - collectif9 
• Early Italian Cello Concertos - Elinor Frey and Rosa Barocca, conducted by Claude Lapalme 
• De la cour de Louis XIV à Shippagan! Chants traditionnels acadiens et airs de cour du XVIIe siècle - Suzie LeBlanc, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, Vincent Lauzer, and Sylvain Bergeron 

Classical Album (Solo)

• Winner of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition Warsaw 2021 - Bruce Liu 
• Prokofiev: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 - David Jalbert 
• La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland - Isabel Bayrakdarian 
• Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin - James Ehnes 
• Fables - Philip Chiu 

Classical Composition

• An Overall Augmented Sense of Well-being - Anthony Tan 
• Bestiary I & II - Bekah Simms 
• The Black Fish - Keyan Emami 
• Prayers for Ruins - Nicole Lizée 
• Supervillain Études - Vincent Ho 

Comedy Album

• Let Me Hold Your Baby - Courtney Gilmour 
• Splash Pad - Jackie Pirico 
• A Person Who Is Gingerbread - Jon Dore 
• Here Live, Not A Cat - Matt Wright 
• Things Black Girls Say – The Album -  Zabrina Douglas 

Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album

• Into The Wild - Dan Bremnes 
• TRUST - Daniel Ojo 
• Jordan St. Cyr - Jordan St. Cyr 
• Only Ever Always - Love & The Outcome 
• The Church Will Rise - Tehillah 

Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group

• Watin - Aysanabee 
• Zhawenim - Digging Roots 
• Code Red - Indian City 
• Beyond The Reservoir - Julian Taylor 
• The Crossing - Susan Aglukark 

Contemporary R&B Recording

• When Flowers Bloom - Adria Kain 
• If I Get Caught - dvsn 
• No Longer in the Suburbs - Dylan Sinclair 
• YESSIE - Jessie Reyez 
• WTF - Savannah Ré  

Francophone Album

• medium plaisir - Ariane Roy 
• Mercure en mai - Daniel Bélanger 
• PICTURA DE IPSE : Musique directe - Hubert Lenoir 
• Crash Les - Louanges 
• Chiac Disco - Lisa LeBlanc

Global Music Album

• In the Footsteps of Rumi - Ghalia Benali Constantinople, Kiya Tabassian 
• Thieves of Dreams - Lenka Lichtenberg
• José Louis And The Paradox Of Love - Pierre Kwenders 
• Vox.Infold - Ruby Singh 
• Tradisyon - Wesli  

International Album

• = - Ed Sheeran 
• Harry’s House - Harry Styles 
• MONTERO - Lil Nas X 
• Midnights - Taylor Swift 
• Red (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift 

Jazz Album (Group)

• Semantics - Andrew Rathbun Quintet 
• Talk Memory - BADBADNOTGOOD 
• The History of Us - Carn Davidson 9 
• Desert Bloom - Florian Hoefner Trio 
• The Dragon’s Tail - Mark Kelso & the Jazz Exiles 

Jazz Album (Solo)

• Joy - Ernesto Cervini 
• A Little Louder Now - Lauren Falls 
• El Tinajon - Luis Deniz 
• Rumba - Rafael Zaldivar 
• Kinds of Love - Renee Rosnes 

Metal/Hard Music Album

• Psychic Jailbreak - Cancer Bats 
• Merciless Destruction - Get The Shot 
• Paid In Full - Skull Fist 
• Synchro Anarchy - VOIVOD 
• Thought Form Descent - WAKE 

Music Video

• Fraud - Jessie Reyez (directed by Emma Higgins)
• Unholy feat. Kim Petras  - Sam Smith and Kim Petras (directed by Floria Sigismondi)
• Have Mercy - Chlöe (directed by Karena Evans)
• Different Than Before - Amanda Sum (directed by Mayumi Yoshida)
• Remember Me For Me feat. Lily Moore  - SonReal and Lily Moore (directed by Sterling Larose)

Pop Album

• In The Meantime - Alessia Cara 
• Love Sux - Avril Lavigne 
• The Loneliest Time - Carly Rae Jepsen 
• i used to think i could fly - Tate McRae 
• Dawn FM - The Weeknd 

Rap Album/EP

• GONZO - Boslen 
• Retrospected (Acoustic) - Classified 
• The Fleur Print Vol. 2 - Jazz Cartier 
• Demons Protected By Angels - NAV
• Shall I Continue? - TOBi

Recording Engineer

• Derek Hoffman
• George Seara
• Gus van Go
• Jason Dufour
• Serban Ghenea

Reggae Recoding

• Water Ammoye - Lulaword
• Like A Star - Celena 
• Jah Love - Exco Levi 
• In The Streets - Kairo McLean 
• Reggae Party feat. Kairo McLean & Finn - Kirk Diamond, Kairo McLean and Finn

Rock Album

• Otherness - Alexisonfire
• Crisis Of Faith - Billy Talent 
• Get Rollin’ - Nickelback 
• Outta Sight - The Sheepdogs 
• EXPLOSIONS - Three Days Grace 

Single

• Bite Me - Avril Lavigne 
• Flowers Need Rain - Preston Pablo and Banx & Ranx 
• When You’re Gone - Shawn Mendes 
• she’s all i wanna be - Tate McRae 
• Sacrifice - The Weeknd 

Songwriter

• The Weeknd
• CITIZENS
• Tate McRae
• Tenille Townes
• TOBi

Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group

• kâkîsimo ᑳᑮᓯᒧᐤ - Cikwes 
• Katajjausiit - Iva & Angu
• Mikwanak Kamôsakinat - Joel Wood 
• Ôskimacîtahowin: A New Beginning - Northern Cree 
• Unbreakable - The Bearhead Sisters 

Traditional R&B/Soul Recording

• Please Do Not Lean feat. BADBADNOTGOOD - Daniel Caesar 
• PALISADE - Jon Vinyl 
• All I Need - SAFE 
• Last One feat. Dylan Sinclair - Savannah Ré 
• HOW TO MAKE LOVE - THEHONESTGUY 

Traditional Roots Album

• Hurricane Clarice - Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves 
• 20 printemps - Le Vent du Nord 
• Narrow Line - Mama’s Broke 
• Tell ‘Em You Were Gold - Pharis & Jason Romero 
• The Empress - The McDades 

Underground Dance Single

• Debonair - Bensley 
• Aye Aye - BLOND:ISH and Cameron Jack 
• The Time Is (Now) - Fred Everything 
• I Knew Techno - Greg Gow 
• Easy - Tiga 

Links: Juno Awards, More Juno Stories

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CONGRATS! Cambridge's The Reklaws Win Two Canadian Country Music Awards!

On September 11, 2022, Cambridge's Reklaws won two Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA). 

CONGRATS GUYS!

Below is a complete list of winners (local artists are bolded)

• Creative Director(s): Austin Chaffe (Reklaws - Cambridge -  & Others) 
• Group or Duo: The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Top Selling Canadian Single: What The Truck – The Reklaws & Sacha 
  
  
  
  Links: Reklaws, More Reklaws Stories, Sacha, More Sacha Stories, Video above courtesy of The Reklaws
  
  
• Video Director: Ben Knechtel (One of the videos: Somewhere To Drink by Nate Haller - Waterloo, The Reklaws - Cambridge, Brett Kissel)
  
  
  
  Links: Nate Haller, Reklaws, More Reklaws Stories, Brett Kissel, More Brett Kissel Stories, Video above courtesy of Nate Heller
  
  
• Album: Masquerades – Tenille Townes
• Alternative Country Album: Songs My Friends Wrote – Corb Lund
• Bass: Brandi Sidoryk
• Booking Agency: Sakamoto Agency
• Country Music Program or Special: Pure Country Top 50 Of 2021 Hosted By Shannon Ella With Special Guests Dustin Lynch & MacKenzie Porter – Bell Media
• Country Personality: Paul Ferguson – CHCQ-FM
• Drummer: Matthew Atkins
• Entertainer: Tenille Townes
• Fan's Choice: Dallas Smith
• Female Artist: Tenille Townes
• Fiddle: Denis Dufresne
• Guitar: Matt McKay
• Hall of Fame Inductions: George Fox, Randall Prescott
• Hank Smith Award of Excellence: Ollie Strong
• Humanitarian Award: The Unison Fund
• Industry Person: Brianne Deslippe – Big Loud Records – VP International
• Interactive Artist: Hailey Benedict
• Keyboard: Brendan Waters
• Male Artist: Dallas Smith
• Management Company: Starseed Entertainment
• Music Publishing Company: Anthem Entertainment
• Radio Station (Large Market): CFCW – Edmonton, AB
• Radio Station (Medium/Small Market): CHCQ-FM – Belleville, ON
• Record Company: Warner Music Canada
• Recording Studio: MCC Recording Studio – Calgary, AB
• Record Producer: Joey Moi- Single: Dallas Smith - Hide From A Broken Heart
• Retailer: Apple Music
• Rising Star: Andrew Hyatt
• Single: Girl Who Didn’t Care – Tenille Townes
  
  
  
  Links: Tenille Townes, More Tenille Townes Stories, Video above courtesy of Tenille Townes
  
  
• Songwriter(s): Girl Who Didn’t Care  - Tenille Townes) (co-written by Steph Jones, David Pramik)
• Specialty Instrument: Mitch Jay
• Steel Guitar Player: Mitch Jay
• Talent Buyer or Promotor: Paul Biro – Sakamoto Agency
• Top Selling Album: Dangerous: The Double Album – Morgan Wallen
• Top Selling Canadian Album: Honkytonk Revival – Jade Eagleson 
• Video: High School – Nice Horse
  
  
  
  Links: Nice Horse. Video above courtesy of Nice Horse

Links: Canadian Country Music Association, More CCMA Stories

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GOOD LUCK! Local 2022 Canadian Country Music Award Nominees

A number of area artists were nominated for 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA). Hopefully, a few of them will return home with the hardware after the ceremony on September 11, 2022 in Calgary.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Below is a complete list of nominees (local artists are bolded) 

Click here for the winners.

Creative Director(s)

• Austin Chaffe (Reklaws - Cambridge) 
• Mitchell Nevins (Tim Hicks - St. Catharines)
• Alee
• Chris Cavill, Chris Doi, Kyle McKearney, Jeffrey Ojeda
• Bronwin Parks

Fan's Choice

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Tenille Arts
• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• High Valley
• James Barker Band
• Brett Kissel
• Tyler Joe Miller
• Robyn Ottolini
• Dallas Smith
• Tenille Townes

Fiddle

• Linsey Beckett (Brantford)
• Tyler Beckett (Brantford)
• Denis Dufresne
• Julie Kennedy
• Mike Sanyshyn

Group or Duo

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• High Valley
• Hunter Brothers
• James Barker Band
• Tim & The Glory Boys

Interactive Artist

• The Reklaws (Cambridge)
• Hailey Benedict
• Aaron Goodvin
• Hunter Brothers
• James Barker Band

Radio Station (Large Market)

• CHKX-FM – Hamilton, ON
• CFCW – Edmonton, AB
• CJJR-FM – Vancouver, BC
• CJKX-FM – Oshawa, ON
• CKKL-FM – Ottawa, ON

Radio Station (Medium/Small Market)

• CKDK-FM – Woodstock, ON
• CHCQ-FM – Belleville, ON
• CJXL-FM – Moncton, NB
• CKGY-FM – Red Deer, AB
• CKLJ-FM – Olds, AB

Record Producer

• Danick Dupelle, Tebey Ottoh (Burlington) - Single: Tebey - What Was I Drinking 
• Deric Ruttan - Single: Tim Hicks - Whiskey Does
• Dan Davidson - Single: Hailey Benedict - Wanted You To
• Danick Dupelle - Single: Tyler Joe Miller- Wild As Her
• Joey Moi- Single: Dallas Smith - Hide From A Broken Heart

Rising Star

• Nate Haller (Waterloo)
  
  
  
  Links: Nate Haller, Reklaws, More Reklaws Stories, Brett Kissel, More Brett Kissel Stories, Video above courtesy of Nate Heller
  
  
• Josh Ross (Burlington)
  
  
  
  Links: Josh Ross, Video above courtesy of JOSS ROSS
  
  
• Hailey Benedict
• Andrew Hyatt
• Sacha

Songwriter(s)

• Whiskey Does - Tim Hicks (St. Catharines) (Co-written by Monty Criswell, Deric Ruttan)
• Girl Who Didn’t Care  - Tenille Townes) (co-written by Steph Jones, David Pramik)
• Pickup  - MacKenzie Porter (co-written by Will Bundy, Lydia Vaughan)
• Rebel Phase - The Prairie States (written by Matthew Cardinal, Doc de Groot, Jay Der, Jeff Dick, Mike Nash, Aaron Pollock, Chris Yurchuck) 
• Right On Time - Lindsay Ell (co-written by Jordan Schmidt, Geoffrey Warburton)

Specialty Instrument

• Shane Guse (Waterloo)
• Johnny Gasparic
• Mitch Jay
• Connor Riddell
• Katie Rox

Steel Guitar Player

• Chris Altmann (Hamilton)
• Doug Johnson
• Mitch Jay

Video

• Whiskey Does – Tim Hicks
  
  
  
  Links: Tim Hicks, More Tim Hicks Stories, Video above courtesy of Tim Hicks
  
  
• Girl Who Didn’t Care – Tenille Townes
• Heaven On Dirt – Gord Bamford
• High School – Nice Horse
• More Drinkin’ Than Fishin’ – Jade Eagleson, Dean Brody
• Pickup – MacKenzie Porter
• Relationship Goals – Steven Lee Olsen

Video Director

• Ben Knechtel (One of the videos: Somewhere To Drink by Nate Haller, The Reklaws - Cambridge, Brett Kissel)
• Stephano Barberis
• Codi McIvor
• Travis Nesbitt
• Ryan Nolan 

Album

• Diamonds in a Whiskey Glass – Gord Bamford
• Heart On My Glass – Meghan Patrick
• Honkytonk Revival – Jade Eagleson
• Masquerades – Tenille Townes
• Nothing Is Meaningless – Don Amero

Alternative Country Album

• Diamonds In The Desert – Jason Blaine
• Down-Home – Kyle McKearney
• Homebound – Twin Kennedy
• Songs My Friends Wrote – Corb Lund
• Unreleased Songs From The Vault Collection. Vol 4: Let’s Smile Again – Stompin’ Tom Connors

Bass

• Lisa Dodd
• Justin Kudding
• Mark Rynkun
• Brandi Sidoryk
• Holt Stuart-Hitchcox

Booking Agency

• Action Entertainment Collaborative
• The Feldman Agency
• Invictus Entertainment Group
• Paquin Artists Agency
• Sakamoto Agency

Country Music Program or Special

• Christmas Time With Tenille Townes – Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc.
• A Kissel Country Christmas – Bak 2 Bak Entertainment Inc., CFCW
• Pure Country Top 50 Of 2021 Hosted By Shannon Ella With Special Guests Dustin Lynch & MacKenzie Porter – Bell Media
• The Road Less Travelled – Stingray
• Wise Woman, The Show – Mallory Johnson, Twin Kennedy

Country Personality

• Wendy Boomer – CKBY-FM
• Shannon Ella – Pure Country
• Paul Ferguson – CHCQ-FM
• Jason McCoy – Pure Country
• Greg Shannon, Stella Stevens – CFCW

Drummer

• Matthew Atkins
• Spencer Cheyne
• Flavio Cirillo
• Rich DaSilva
• Krista Wodelet

Entertainer

• Tenille Arts
• James Barker Band
• Brett Kissel
• Dallas Smith
• Tenille Townes

Female Artist

• Tenille Arts
• Lindsay Ell
• Robyn Ottolini
• Meghan Patrick
• MacKenzie Porter
• Tenille Townes

Guitar

• Ryan Davidson
• Matt McKay
• Tara McLeod
• Chad Murphy
• Brennan Wall

Industry Person

• Paul Biro – Sakamoto Agency – Vice President and Operating Partner
• Steve Coady – Warner Music Canada – Vice President, Radio Promotion
• Mike Denney – MDM Recordings Inc. – President
• Brianne Deslippe – Big Loud Records – VP International
• Bobby Wills – Willing Entertainment – Director and General Manager

Keyboard

• Mike Little
• Brendan Waters
• Scott Wilkinson

Male Artist

• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• Brett Kissel
• Tyler Joe Miller
• Dallas Smith

Management Company

• Big Loud Management
• The Core Entertainment
• Invictus Entertainment Group
• MDM Artist Management Services
• Starseed Entertainment

Music Publishing Company

• Anthem Entertainment
• Big Loud Publishing
• Sony ATV Music Publishing
• Warner Chappell Music Canada

Record Company

• Big Loud Records
• MDM Recordings Inc.
• Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc.
• Universal Music Canada
• Warner Music Canada

Recording Studio

• Barrytone Studios – Miramichi, NB
• Bart McKay Productions – Saskatoon, SK
• MCC Recording Studio – Calgary, AB
• OCL Studios – Chestermere, AB
• Revolution Recording – Toronto, ON

Retailer

• Amazon Music
• Apple Music
• Spotify Canada Inc.

Single

• All Night To Figure It Out – Jade Eagleson
• Boy Like Me – Aaron Goodvin
• Girl Who Didn’t Care – Tenille Townes
• Make A Life, Not A Living – Brett Kissel
• More Drinkin’ Than Fishin’ – Jade Eagleson, Dean Brody
• Over All Over Again – James Barker Band
• Tailgate To Heaven  – Shawn Austin (Feat. Chris Lane)

Talent Buyer or Promotor

• Paul Biro – Sakamoto Agency
• Dan Clapson – Blue Jay Sessions
• Jim Cressman – Invictus Entertainment Group
• Brooke Dunford – Republic Live
• Adam Oppenheim – Stampede Entertainment Inc.

Links: Canadian Country Music Association, More CCMA Stories

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GOOD LUCK! Local Artists Nominated for Canadian Country Music Awards + Complete Nominee List

The 2020 CCMA Awards will feature a truckload of local talent. Many area artists were nominated this year. The ceremony will be broadcast on Global TV - Sept. 27.

From the Hamilton area, we have Chris Altmann (Steel Guitar Player of the Year) and Peter Walker of CHKX-FM (Radio Music Director of the Year - Large Market).



Links: Chris Altmann, More Chris Altmann Stories, Danny Medakovic, More Dan Medakovic Stories, Video above courtesy of Dan Medakovic

Representing Burlington is country superstar Tebey (Fan's Choice Award, Male Artists of the Year). His video director Raphael Mazzucco is up for Video Director of the Year.



Links: Tebey, More Tebey Stories, Marie Mai, More Marie Mai Stories, Video above courtesy of Tebey

St. Catherines nominees include Tim Hicks (Songwriter of the Year, Video of the Year) and his drummer Rob Wells (Drummer of the Year). Also, Peter Morena of CKYY-FM is in the running for Music Director of the Year (Medium/Small Market).



Links: Tim Hicks, More Tim Hicks Stories, Video above courtesy of Tim Hicks

Out Brantford way, we have Linsey Beckett and Tyler Beckett who are both up for Fiddle Player of the Year and Doug Johnson (Steel Guitar Player of the Year).




Links: Linsey Beckett, Beckett Family, More Linsey Beckett Stories, Video above courtesy of Chris Scerri CSP

In Cambridge, the Reklaws were nominated for two awards: Fan's Choice Award and Entertainer of the Year). Their video director, Ben Knechtel (Video Director of the Year) received a nod.



Links: Reklaws, More Reklaws Stories, Dean Brody, More Dean Brody Stories, Video above courtesy of Dean Brody

Members of Waterloo's  Western Swing Authority got in on the action as well: Paul Chapman (Guitarist of the Year) and Jason Barry's Barrytone Studios (Recording Studio of the Year).



Links: Western Swing Authority, More WSA Stories, Video above courtesy of Weare1world

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Click here for the winners

Below is a complete list of nominees.

Fan's Choice

• Tebey
• The Reklaws
• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• Hunter Brothers
• James Barker Band
• Brett Kissel
• MacKenzie Porter
• Dallas Smith
• Tenille Townes

Male Artist

• Tebey
• Dean Brody
• Jade Eagleson
• Brett Kissel
• Dallas Smith

Entertainer

• The Reklaws
• Dean Brody
• Brett Kissel
• Dallas Smith
• Tenille Townes

Group or Duo

• The Reklaws
• High Valley
• Hunter Brothers
• James Barker Band
• The Washboard Union

Songwriter(s)

• The Reklaws - I Do Too (co-written w Brad Rempel + Ben Stennis)
• Tim Hicks - No Truck Song (co-written w Jeff Coplan, Bruce Wallace)
• Aaron Goodvin - Good Ol’ Bad Days (co-written with Skip Black + Matt Nolen)
• Tenille Townes - Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking) (co-written w Tina Parol, Gordie Sampson)
• MacKenzie Porter - These Days (co-written w Jordan Sapp, Parker Welling)

Video

• No Truck Song – Tim Hicks
• Country Thunder – The Washboard Union
• Drink About Me – Brett Kissel
• Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking) – Tenille Townes
• Silver Lining – Hunter Brothers

Guitar Player

• Paul Chapman (Western Swing Authority)
• Ryan Davidson
• Matt McKay
• Chad Murphy
• Darren Savard

Drummer

• Rob Wells (Tim Hicks)
• Matthew Atkins
• Ben Bradley
• Spencer Cheyne
• Flavio Cirillo
• Greg Williamson

Steel Guitar Player

• Chris Altmann
• Doug Johnson
• Mitch Jay

Fiddle Player

• Linsey Beckett
• Tyler Beckett
• Denis Dufresne
• Matt Piche
• Mike Sanyshyn
• Tyler Vollrath

Radio Music Director (Large Market)

• Peter Walker – CJKX-FM/CHKX-FM – Oshawa, ON/Hamilton, ON
• Steph Hansen – CISN-FM/CKRY-FM – Edmonton, AB/Calgary, AB
• Jaxon Hawks – CJJR-FM – Vancouver, BC
• A.J. Keller – CFCW – Edmonton, AB
• Amanda Kingsland – CKBY-FM – Ottawa, ON

Radio Music Director (Medium/Small Market)

• Peter Morena – CKYY-FM – St. Catharines, ON
• Shilo Bellis – CJXL-FM – Moncton, NB
• Paul Ferguson – CHCQ-FM – Belleville, ON
• Cal Gratton – CJVR-FM – Melfort, SK
• Luca James – CKGY-FM – Red Deer, AB

Recording Studio

• Barrytone Studios – Miramichi, NB
• Bart McKay Productions – Saskatoon, SK
• MCC Recording Studio – Calgary, AB
• Noble Street Studios – Toronto, ON
• OCL Studios – Chestermere, AB

Album

• Black Sheep – Dean Brody
• Love, Heartbreak, & Everything In Between – Tenille Arts
• Now Or Never – Brett Kissel
• Singles Only – James Barker Band
• Wild As Me – Meghan Patrick

Female Artists

• Lindsay Ell
• Jess Moskaluke
• Meghan Patrick
• MacKenzie Porter
• Tenille Townes

Interactive Artist or Group

• Dan Davidson
• Lindsay Ell
• Aaron Goodvin
• Nice Horse
• Tenille Townes

Rising Star

• Tenille Arts
• Matt Lang
• Tyler Joe Miller
• Emily Reid
• Sons Of Daughters

Roots Album

• Everbound – The Washboard Union
• Fingers Crossed – JJ Shiplett
• Kalsey Kulyk – Kalsey Kulyk
• Love Wins – Kelly Prescott
• The Other Way – Donovan Woods

Single

• Count The Ways – Jade Eagleson
• Drop – Dallas Smith
• Keep It Simple – James Barker Band
• Single Man – High Valley
• Whiskey In A Teacup – Dean Brody

Bass Player

• Kirby Barber
• Lisa Dodd
• Curtis Ebner
• Doug Elash
• Matt Genereux
• Justin Kudding

Keyboard Player

• Mike Little
• Brendan Waters
• Scott Wilkinson

Specialty Instrument Player

• Mitch Jay
• Connor Riddell
• Tyler Vollrath

Country Personality

• Wendy Boomer – CKBY-FM
• Shannon Ella – Pure Country
• Paul McGuire – Stingray
• Randy Owen – CJDL-FM
• Sarah Scott – CFXO-FM

Radio Station (Large Market)

• CFCW – Edmonton, AB
• CJKX-FM – Oshawa, ON
• CKBY-FM – Ottawa, ON
• CKKL-FM – Ottawa, ON
• CKRY-FM – Calgary, AB

Radio Station (Small/Medium Market)

• CFXO-FM – High River, AB
• CHCQ-FM – Belleville, ON
• CICX-FM – Orillia, ON
• CJXL-FX – Moncton, NB
• CKGY-FM – Red Deer, AB

Booking Agency 

• The Feldman Agency
• Invictus Entertainment Group
• Paquin Artist Agency
• Sakamoto Agency
• United Talent Agency

Country Club

• Cook County Saloon – Edmonton, AB
• Cowboys Roadhouse – Winnipeg, MB
• King Eddy – Calgary, AB
• Ranchman’s Cookhouse And Dancehall – Calgary, AB
• Rock ‘N’ Horse Saloon – Toronto, ON

Country Festival

• Boots And Hearts Music Festival – Oro-Medonte, ON
• Calgary Stampede – Calgary, AB
• Cavendish Beach Music Festival – Cavendish, PE
• Centerfield Music Festival – St. Paul, AB
• Diesel Bird Digital Music Festival – Online

Country Music Program

• A Kissel Country Christmas – BAK 2 BAK Entertainment Inc./Stingray
• Canada Together: In Concert – Corus Entertainment
• Casey Clarke Country Countdown – Casey Clarke Productions
• Girl Power Hour – Rogers Media
• The Paul McGuire Show – Stingray

Management Company

• Big Loud Management
• Invictus Entertainment Group
• MDM Artist Management Services
• RGK Entertainment Group
• Starseed Entertainment

Music Publishing Company

• Anthem Entertainment
• Big Loud Publishing
• Sony / ATV Music Publishing
• Universal Music Publishing Group
• Warner Chappell Music Canada

Record Company

• MDM Recordings Inc.
• Open Road Recordings
• Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
• Universal Music Canada
• Warner Music Canada

Industry Person

• Steve Coady – Warner Music Canada – Vice President, Radio Promotion
• Warren Copnick – Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc. – Director of National Promotion
• Mike Denney – MDM Recordings Inc – President
• Brianne Deslippe – Big Loud Records – Vice President of Promotion/General Manager Canada
• Anya Wilson – Anya Wilson Promotion – Radio Promoter

Creative Director(s)

• Design Team: Mitchell Nevins, Madeline Merlo, Photography: Emma-Lee
  Digital Single Packaging: Kiss Kiss, If You Never Broke My Heart, It Didn’t, Digital Singles, Newsletter Template, Zoom Digital Background Filter, Instagram Filter, Website (Artist: Madeline Merlo)
• Design Team: Bronwin Parks
  Single: Just Let Go (Artist: Gord Bamford), Album, Vinyl and Artist Merchandise: It Was A Song (Artists: Ryan Langlois) Singles: (Country Thunder, Country Thunder Acoustic, Dock Rock, Artist Branding (Artist: The Washboard Union)
• Design Team: Wes Mack, Kyle Bottoms
  Album: Soul (Artist: Wes Mack)
• Design Team: Nick Perreault, James Murdoch, Ben Shillabeer
  Album: Twenty Something, Single: Homesick For The Holidays, Social Graphics (Artist: The Dungarees)
• Design Team: Brett Kissel, Connor Schefler
  Album: Now Or Never (Artist: Brett Kissel)

Record Producer (s)

• Jeff Dalziel   
• Jacob Durrett, Brett Kissel, Bart McKay
• Karen Kosowski
• Scott Moffatt
• Joey Moi, Dave Cohen

Retailer

• Amazon Music
• Apple Music
• Spotify Canada Inc.

Talent Buyer or Promoter

• Paul Biro – Sakamoto Agency
• Jim Cressman – Invictus Entertainment Group
• Adam Oppenheim – Stampede Entertainment Inc.

Video Director

• Stephano Barberis 
• Emma Higgins
• Ben Knechtel
• Raphael Mazzucco
• Travis Nesbitt

Click here for the winners.

Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

Links: Canadian Country Music Association, More CCMA Stories

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