The 30th annual Ontario Folk Music Awards will take place in Mississauga, Ontario on Sunday, October 6, 2024 following the Folk Music Ontario Conference.
Mississauga, ON - August 14 2024 - In recognition of the outstanding work and contributions of Folk artists and musicians from across the province of Ontario, Folk Music Ontario (FMO) is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2024 Ontario Folk Music Awards (formerly the 'Songs from the Heart Awards'). Now celebrating its 30th year, the annual award ceremony will take place as the final event of the Folk Music Ontario Conference at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ontario on Sunday, October 6, 2024 and will feature performances by a select number of nominated artists and special guests.
October 17, 2023 – Ottawa, ON - The Canadian Folk Music Awards celebrates its 19th edition, with a roster of nominations that celebrates the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music in all its forms. This year’s nominees span the country from coast to coast to coast. A new record of submissions, we are happy to announce a total of 110 nominees spanning over 20 categories — celebrating the diversity and talent of artists and musicians across Canada.
Established by Canada’s vibrant and internationally-recognized folk music community, CFMA nominees are chosen for each category through a two-stage jury process. More than 100 jurors, located across Canada, representing all provinces, territories and in both official languages, help determine the official recipients in each category. “Every year, the CFMA Nominee Announcement is an important moment for Canada’s folk music community to take note of the outstanding work done over the past year and celebrate the outstanding talent our country has to offer” explains CFMA president Graham Lindsey. “We are proud of the diversity of the nominated recordings, and it is a true testament to what our country’s musicians have to offer”.
The CFMA 2024 Awards Weekend takes place April 4th to the 7th, 2024, in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. The weekend will capture the true heart of our folk community, while celebrating the nominees and the category recipients.
Sadly, Canadian music legend Ian Tyson passed away on December 29, 2022. He had many unforgettable hits as a solo artists as well as with his now ex-wife Sylvia Tyson. Ian was also currently signed to Waterdown's Stony Plain Records.
From the news release (edited):
Canadian Music Legend Ian Tyson Has Died at 89
The family of the late Canadian country legend Ian Tyson, has confirmed the singer-songwriter died from on-going health complications on December 29th, 2022 at his ranch in southern Alberta, Canada at age 89.
Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria, and grew up in Duncan B.C. A rough stock rider in his late teens and early twenties, he took up the guitar while recovering from an injury he sustained in a bad fall in the rodeo.
He upped stakes from Vancouver Island and hitchhiked to Toronto, where he met a young singer from small-town Ontario called Sylvia Fricker. As Ian & Sylvia, they were the Canadian stars of the early ’60s folk boom.
After hosting a national Canadian television music show from 1970 to 1975, Tyson realized his dream of returning to the Canadian West. The music and marriage of Ian and Sylvia had ended.
Life has not been without its difficulties, however. In 2006, he seriously damaged his voice after a particularly tough performance at an outdoor country music festival.
“I fought the sound system and I lost,” he said afterwards. With a virus that took months to pass, his smooth voice was now hoarse, grainy, and had lost much of its resonant bottom end. After briefly entertaining thoughts that he would never sing again, he began relearning and reworking his songs to accommodate his “new voice.” To his surprise, audiences now paid rapt attention as he half-spoke, half-sung familiar words, which seemed to reveal new depths for his listeners.
Tyson released his most recent single “You Should Have Known” in September 2017 on Stony Plain Records, the label that Tyson’s released fifteen albums with since the ‘80s. The song unapologetically celebrated the hard living, hard drinking, hard loving cowboy life.
Saw Ian and Sylvia live at a school concert in Collingwood, late 60s,I just happened to be in the area
I did a brief stint with Sylvia in the mid 70s, but that's another story.
But all thru my Yorkville teens they were high on the list of Canadian success stories
Thru their many TV appearances then finally their own show, whenever my folks would be watching it I did too .
But I was soo focused on Ian's right hand, his wrist, anytime they were performing, I remember remarking to my dad, wow look at the way he does that, supple, smooth, loose wrist, the way he strummed and the easy feel, I was deeply inspired to make that a learning curve for myself, if I could.
Then one day while traveling across Canada with the Hawk, we wound up visiting Ian somewhere out west, I was beside myself in hopes I could tell him, and it came to be, I shook his hand as firmly as I could looking into his eyes and told him, I know everybody knows and loves you for your song writing but you're probably the best rhythm player I'd ever known, I've studied you a lot and thanked him for his huge influence upon my learning guitar, I said you and John Lennon are it for me.
I'll always remember that joy in meeting him and the opportunity to tell him in person.
Mostly though, it's the surprise on his face, that kinda "what??" smile on his face and especially in his eyes, when he said well thank you so much son.
The death of Ian Tyson, while not unexpected, hit hard.
In the decades I did publicity for Stony Plain, the label which rejuvenated his career, I suppose I was a gatekeeper — and I turned down lots of media requests, without even consulting his manager, or Ian himself. No, he would not do a two minute interview between the news and the sports on Radio Country Crap Lethbridge — he'd done more interviews than you could count, from the very early 60s until a couple of years ago.
Yes, Ian was one of the grumpiest people I've ever met and he didn't suffer fools for more than 60 seconds (although in more than 15 years he and I never had an argument). I defended him often — underneath his crusty exterior lurked a songwriter of enormous warmth and sensitivity; if you had been offended by his attitude, just listen to his songs.
From his early folk days to his cowboy stories of a disappearing lifestyle, Ian Tyson was one of the best songwriters this country ever had. Safe home, old friend.
Here's a cover from Hamilton artists Matthew and Jill Barber
As always, there were a number of local artists nominated for Junos this year.
Hamilton is well represented thanks to Monster Truck, who are up for 3 awards (Rock Album, Producer, Recording Engineer) and the Arkells who are in the running for 2 (Group, Rock Album). Other Hammertown hopefuls include Whitehorse(Blues Album), The Dirty Nil(Breakthrough Group), Matthew and Jill Barber(Contemporary Roots Album), Corin Raymond(Contemporary Roots Album), David Braid(Instrumental Album) and Diana Panton(Children's Album). Another Blues Album nominee, Ride the One, from Toronto's Paul Reddick, includes work from Hamilton's own Colin Cripps.
St. Catherines alt-rockers Alexisonfire received a nod for Best Package of the Year for their album Live at Copps.(recorded in Hamilton). New Kitchener resident Sean Pinchin will be up for Blues Album of the Year.
When the 12th Annual Canadian Folk Music Awards come to Toronto in December 2016, there'll be some local artists up for some trophies.
There are quite a few Hamiltonians (both old and new) nominated this year. Ben Caplan(New/Emerging Artist),Whitehorse(Pushing the Boundaires, Ensemble), Matthew Barber and Jill Barber(Producers),Corin Raymond(Contemporary Album) and David Gillis(Producer - for his work with Corin). Waterloo's Danny Michelis up for the English Songwriter and Contemporary Singer categories as well.
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