During the JUNO Awards Broadcast that aired live nationwide on CBC and CBC Gem and was viewed globally on CBC Music’s YouTube channel,  Joni Mitchell received thunderous applause as she took to the stage at the TD Coliseum to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award. In introducing her, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “Joni’s music didn’t just provide the soundtrack to our lives he shifted culture, inspired generations and redefined what songwriting could be.”

Gracing the stage, Mitchell, 82, said that she was “so happy to be in Canada [with] our wonderful prime minister.” Noting that she now lives in the United States, she continued “and you know what’s happening there. This man is a blessing. You guys are so fortunate.”

Following her brief remarks, the widely acclaimed Canadian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist joined Sarah McLachlan, Allison Russell and other artists in a musical tribute to her body of work, which includes such notable songs as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides, Now,” “Chelsea Morning,” “Help Me,” and “River.”

Mariel Buckley, whose October 2025 release Strange Trip Ahead (Birthday Cake Records) was named Contemporary Folk Album of the Year, is a Calgary, Alberta-based singer-songwriter. She is the younger sister of singer T. Buckley, with whom she has also recorded and performed together as a duo. Strange Trip Ahead was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with her Edmonton-based band and produced by Jarrad K at Chateau Noir Studios. Her third full-length album, it was preceded by the critically acclaimed Everywhere I Used To Be (2022) and Driving In The Dark (2018). Although Buckley’s music may be genre defying, her songwriting reflects an intimate folk style. She tours Europe for several weeks this spring.

Morgan Toney, 27, whose Heal The Divide, was named Traditional Folk Album of the Year, is a Mi’kmaq folk singer-songwriter and fiddler from Nova Scotia. A member of he Wagmatcook First Nation, Toney performs and records music blends Celtic folk (reflective of Cape Breton) and the traditional, old songs of his people – a fusion that he calls Mikmatic) and describes as his way of celebrating his language and heritage. Heal The Divide is Toney’s third album. Preceding it were 2023’s Resilience, which was nominated for a Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year in 2024, and 2021’s First Flight, which was reissued in 2022 on Ishkode Records.

Also nominated for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year were The Hammer & The Rose (Matt Andersen), Purple Gas (Noeline Hofmann), These Dark Canyons (The Young Novelists), and Further From The Country (William Prince). The other Traditional Roots Music Album of the Year nominees included I Lost My Heart on Friday (Aerialists), Gold And Coal (Cassie and Maggie), The Moon’s Daughter (Heather MacIsaac), and Folk Signals (The Southern Residents).

Also of potential interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers, Steven Marriner’s Hear My Heart was named Blues Album of the Year, while Sarah McLachlan’s Better Broken was named Adult Contemporary Album of the Year. Canadian pop star Tate McRae was the big winner, receiving awards in four of the six categories in which she was nominated: album of the year, artist of the year, single of the year, and pop album of the year.

For more information on Canada’s top music awards, including a complete listing of winners and the 248 nominees across 47 categories, visit https://junoawards.ca.

His latest album, Come Around, was recorded last fall and features 11 original songs – largely meditations on life and love — plus a cover of the traditional blues classic “In My Time of Dyin’.” Lutes co-produced the album with longtime collaborator Rob MacDonald – with whom he is also in a duo and part of the roots ensemble Sussex. Featuring backing vocals by Annabelle Chvostek, Come Around is Lutes’ eighth studio release since 2000. His previous recording, 2017’s Walk in the Dark, was named Album of the Year by Blues and Roots Radio, while 2013’s The Bravest Birds topped the EuroAmericana Charts and spent seven months in the Roots Music Report Top 10. Other artists have recorded several of Lutes’ songs.

Here’s a link to enjoy a video of Lutes performing “Knives,” the opening track on Come Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu9m7gOQrY4

Allison Russell is a soulful Nashville-based, Montreal-born Scottish Grenadian Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and activist who is also a co-founder of Our Native Daughters and Birds of Chicago and was part of Po’ Girl. She is in the running for Contemporary Album of the Year, English Songwriter of the Year, New/Emerging Artist of the Year, and the Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award in recognition of her debut solo album, Outside Child.

Wrought with emotion, its 11 original songs are “about resilience and survival, transcendence and the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family,” says Russell, who faced abuse and trauma during her youth that music has helped her to overcome. She showcased her talents and also served as the weekend closing curator at the 63rd annual Newport Folk Festival this summer.

Here’s a link to view the official video for Russell’s song “Nightflyer,” the first single off Outside Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNJgwj8d9eo

The Canadian Folk Music Awards were established in 2005 to bring greater exposure to the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music, celebrating and promoting it in all its forms. This year’s nominees span the country from Whitehorse, Yukon to Cambellton, New Brunswick, and from Banff, Alberta to Halifax, Nova Scotia. They were chosen for each category via two-stage jury process. More than 100 jurors, locatedacross Canada and representing all of its official provinces, territories and languages determine the recipients in each category.

A complete list of 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominees follows, while more information may be found online at folkawards.ca.

Children’s Album of the Year / Album jeunesse de l’année

• Campfire Time! by/par Peter Lenton aka Peter Puffin’s Whale Tales (AB)
• Falling in Africa by/par Garth Prince (AB)
• Believe in Your Magic by/par Penny Pom Pom (BC)
• Heart Parade by/par Splash’N Boots (ON)
• Think About the Wild by/par Remy Rodden (YT)

Contemporary Album of the Year / Album contemporain de l’année

• XO, 1945 by/par Ryland Moranz (AB)
• All This Time Running by/par Craig Cardiff (ON)
• Solar Powered Too by/par Rick Fines (ON)
• Voyageur In Song by/par David Leask (ON)
• Outside Child by/par Allison Russell (QC)
• À l’ouest du réel by/par Reney Ray (QC)
• Come Around by/par Rob Lutes (QC)
• Encounter by/par BEYRIES (QC)

Contemporary Singer of the Year / Chanteur contemporain de l’année

• Kelly Bado for/pour Hey Terre (MB)
• Terra Spencer for/pour Chasing Rabbits (NS)
• Craig Cardiff for/pour All This Time Running (ON)
• Denise Flack for/pour Good Water (ON)
• Rob Lutes for/pour Come Around (QC)

English Songwriter(s) / Auteur compositeur(s) anglophone

• Scott Cook for/pour Tangle of Souls (AB)
• Noah Reid for/pour Gemini (ON)
• Rick Fines for/pour Solar Powered Too (ON)
• Allison Russell for/pour Outside Child (QC)
• Ian Tamblyn for/pour A Longing for Innocence (QC)
• Rob Lutes for/pour Come Around (QC)

Ensemble of the Year / Groupe de l’année

• The Hello Darlins for/pour Go By Feel (AB)
• The Fugitives for/pour Trench Songs (BC)
• Elliott BROOD for/pour Keeper (ON)
• OKAN for/pour Espiral (ON)
• Whitehorse for/pour Modern Love (ON)

French Songwriter(s) of the Year / Auteur-compositeur(s) francophone de l’année

• Émilie Landry for/pour Arroser les fleurs (NB)
• Anne-Sophie Doré-Coulombe for/pour Nos maisons (QC)
• Flavie Léger-Roy for/pour Les trous dans les coeurs (QC)
• Guillaume Beaulac for/pour Guillaume Beaulac (QC)
• Reney Ray for/pour À l’ouest du réel (QC)

Global Roots Album of the Year/ Album traditions du monde de l’année
(Note: This replaces the World Album of the Year.)

• El Currucha by/par Eliana Cuevas (feat. Aquiles Báez) (ON)
• Espiral by/par OKAN (ON)
• Songs From Home by/par Polky (ON)
• VelkomBak by/par Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra (QC)
• Wutiko by/par Elage Diouf (QC)

Indigenous Songwriter(s) of the Year / Auteur compositeur(s) autochtone de l’année

• Phyllis Sinclair for/pour Ghost Bones (AB)
• Morgan Toney for/pour First Flight (NS)
• David Laronde for/pour I Know I Can Fly (ON)
• Chelsey June & Jaaji for/pour Omen (QC)
• Laura Niquay for/pour Waska Matisiwin (QC)

Instrumental Group of the Year / Groupe instrumental de l’année

• Amber & Zebulun for/pour South of North, East of West (ON)
• Shane Cook & The Woodchippers for/pour Be Here for a While (ON)
• Frank Evans & Ben Plotnick for/pour Madison Archives (ON)
• Bùmarang for/pour Echo Land (QC)
• Oktopus for/pour Créature (QC)

Instrumental Solo artist of the Year / Instrumentiste solo de l’année

• Adam Young for/pour Yearbook (NS)
• Maneli Jamal for/pour Soul Odyssey (ON)
• Cédric Dind-Lavoie for/pour Archives (QC)
• Dave Clarke for/pour The Healing Garden (QC)
• Olivier Demers for/pour À l’envers d’un monde (QC)

New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year / Artiste(s) de la relève de l’année

• The Hello Darlins for/pour Go By Feel (AB)
• Oxlip for/pour Your Mother Was A Peacock (BC)
• Noah Reid for/pour Gemini (ON)
• Polky for/pour Songs From Home (ON)
• Allison Russell for/pour Outside Child (QC)
• David Lafleche for/pour Everyday Son (QC)

Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award / Prix Innovation musicale Oliver Schroder

• Decoration Day for/pour Makeshift Future (ON)
• Speaker Face for/pour Crescent (ON)
• Briga for/pour Territoire (QC)
• Allison Russell for/pour Outside Child (QC)
• Cédric Dind-Lavoie for/pour Archives (QC)
• Rosier for/pour Légèrement (QC)

Producer(s) of the Year / Réalisateur(s) de l’année

• David Travers-Smith, Fernando Rosa, Annabelle Chvostek for/pour String of Pearls (ON)
• Luke Doucet, Melissa McClelland for/pour Modern Love (ON)
• Cédric Dind-Lavoie, Corne de brume for/pour Archives (QC)
• Quinn Bachand for/pour Légèrement (QC)
• Rob Lutes, Rob MacDonald for/pour Come Around (QC)

Single of the Year / Monoplage de l’année

• Still Waters by/par The Hello Darlins (feat. Matt Andersen) (AB)
• Never Mind The Weather by/par Big Little Lions (BC)
• Gospel First Nation by/par William Prince (MB)
• Everything Reminds Me by/par The Deep Dark Woods (NS)
• Yellow Snow by/par Andrea Bettger (NT)
• Elmira (Remix) by/par The East Pointers (feat. Lonely Kid) (PEI)
• Pontoise by/par Rosier (QC)
• The River by/par Loryn Taggart (QC)

Solo Artist of the Year / Artiste solo de l’année

• Dana Sipos for/pour The Astral Plane (BC)
• William Prince for/pour Gospel First Nation (MB)
• Laura Smith for/pour As Long As I’m Dreaming (NS)
• Maneli Jamal for/pour Soul Odyssey (ON)
• Rick Fines for/pour Solar Powered Too (ON)
• Alicia Toner for/pour Joan (PEI)

Traditional Album of the Year / Album traditionnel de l’année

• Kitchen Days by/par Braden Gates (AB)
• Alive by/par Fred Eaglesmith & Tif Ginn (ON)
• Be Here for a While by/par Shane Cook & The Woodchippers (ON)
• Le bonhomme Sept Heures / The Bonesetter by/par Grosse Isle (QC)
• Les sessions du Vices & Versa – 15th Anniversary by/par David Boulanger (QC)

Traditional Singer of the Year / Chanteur traditionnel de l’année

• Ray Schmidt for/pour Sold Out at the Ironwood (AB)
• Pat Chessell for/pour The Road Not Taken (BC)
• Ewelina Ferenc for/pour Songs From Home (ON)
• Nicolas Boulerice for/pour Maison de pierre – Confiné au voyages (QC)
• Sophie Lavoie for/pour Le bonhomme Sept Heures / The Bonesetter (QC)

Vocal Group of the Year / Groupe vocal de l’année

• The Fugitives for/pour Trench Songs (BC)
• The Gilberts for/pour Tell Me (NS)
• Whitehorse for/pour Modern Love (ON)
• Les Bouches Bées for/pour Les trous dans les coeurs (QC)
• Twin Flames for/pour Omen (QC)

Young Performer(s) of the Year / Jeune artiste(s) de l’année

• Paige Penney for/pour When All is Said and Done (NL)
• Isabella Samson for/pour If It’s Not Forever (NS)
• Hannah Thomas for/pour Christmas Don’t Be Late (ON)
• Irish Millie for/pour Thirteen (ON)
• The Broken Bridges for/pour The Porch Sessions (ON)

“We are devastated to cancel this national celebration of music, but at this time of global uncertainty, he health, safety and well-being of all Canadians must stand at the forefront of any decisions that impact our communities,” according to the statement that CARAS posted online at https://junoawards.ca. “We know this is the right decision based on the information we curtly have ad are continuing to receive. The situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve rapidly and we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”

Unfortunately, cancellation of the televised awards gala and Junos-related events preceding it was made after artists and other participants had already begun arriving in Saskatoon for JUNO Week festivities that were to have begun on March 12.

CARAS noted that it will “explore options to coordinate an alternative way to honor this year’s JUNO Award winners and special award recipients.”

As previously reported on AcousticMusicScene.com in late January, among the coveted awards are those for Contemporary and Traditional Roots Albums of the Year. In the running for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year are Coyote (Catherine MacLellan), Easy Keeper (Del Barber), Little Bones (Irish Mythen), Passages (Justin Rutledge), and Mohawk (Lee Harvey Osmond). Traditional Roots Album of the Year nominees include Once a Day (April Verch), By Appointment or Chance (Miranda Mulholland), Sketches (Natalie MacMaster), Sugar & Joy (The Dead South), and Assinbone & The Red (The Small Glories).

Nominees in other award categories that may be of interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers include those for Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year and Blues Album of the Year. Nominated in the former category are Celeigh Cardinal for Stories from a Downtown Apartment, Digawolf for Yellowstone, nehiyawak for nipiy, Northern Haze for Siqinnaarut, and Riit for ataataga. In the running for Blues Album of the Year are Pocket Full of Nothing (Big Dave McLean), Mad Love (Dawn Tyler Watson), Hand Me Down Blues (Durham County Poets), That’s Where It’s At (Michael Jerome Browne), and The Northern South Vol. 2 (Whitehorse). In addition, Toothsayer by Tanya Tagaq is among the nominees for Instrumental Album of the Year; a throat singer and composer, Tagaq is a Polaris Prize recipient and Canadian Folk Music Award-winner.

Canadian Folk Music Awards Weekend is Also in Doubt Amid Rising Coronavirus Concerns

In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the Canadian Folk Music Awards are in consultation with their various stakeholders regarding its awards weekend, April 3-4, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. “The health and safety of our patrons, artists and staff is our primary concern,” according to a post by the CFMA board of directors on its website. “We will announce any decisions regarding whether to proceed with caution and protective measures, or to cancel our event altogether as soon as possible.”

As reported on AcousticMusicScene.com last November, Dave Gunning, a singer-songwriter who hails from Nova Scotia, tops the list of nominees for the 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards with four nominations. Jenn Grant (also a Nova Scotia-based singer-songwriter), The Small Glories (the Winnipeg-based duo of Cara Luft and JD Edwards), and Vishten (an Acadian trio from Canada’s East Coast) each received three nods, while more than half-a-dozen other artists/acts received two nominations apiece. They are among the many artists and groups from throughout Canada vying for awards in 19 categories.

Here’s a link to the Nov. 22, 2019 article: https://acousticmusicscene.com/2019/11/22/nominees-named-for-2020-canadian-folk-music-awards/

Hosted by Canadian pop star Alessia Cara, a 23 year-old singer-songwriter who has been nominated for six awards this year, the ceremonies will be broadcast live on CBC beginning at 8 p.m. ET and may be viewed online at www.cbcmusic.com/junos or https://www.cbc.ca/music/junos.

In the running for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year are Coyote (Catherine MacLellan), Easy Keeper (Del Barber), Little Bones (Irish Mythen), Passages (Justin Rutledge), and Mohawk (Lee Harvey Osmond). Traditional Roots Album of the Year nominees include Once a Day (April Verch), By Appointment or Chance (Miranda Mulholland), Sketches (Natalie MacMaster), Sugar & Joy (The Dead South), and Assinbone & The Red (The Small Glories).

Nominees in other award categories that may be of interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers include those for Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year and Blues Album of the Year. Nominated in the former category are Celeigh Cardinal for Stories from a Downtown Apartment, Digawolf for Yellowstone, nehiyawak for nipiy, Northern Haze for Siqinnaarut, and Riit for ataataga. In the running for Blues Album of the Year are Pocket Full of Nothing (Big Dave McLean), Mad Love (Dawn Tyler Watson), Hand Me Down Blues (Durham County Poets), That’s Where It’s At (Michael Jerome Browne), and The Northern South Vol. 2 (Whitehorse). In addition, Toothsayer by Tanya Tagaq is among the nominees for Instrumental Album of the Year; a throat singer and composer, Tagaq is a Polaris Music Prize recipient and Canadian Folk Music Award- winner.

A complete list of JUNO Awards nominees can be found, along with additional information, online at www.junoawards.ca.

Gunning, Grant and The Small Glories are among the eight artists/acts in the running for Contemporary Album of the Year for Up Against The Sky, Love, Inevitable and Assiniboine & the Red, respectively. Gunning and Grant also received nominations for both Contemporary and Solo Artist of the Year, while Gunning also is among those vying for English Songwriter of the Year. The Small Glories also are nominated in the Ensemble and traditional Group of the Year categories, while Vishten received nominations for Traditional Album and Ensemble of the Year, as well as the Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award.

A two-stage jury process featuring 100 jurors based across Canada and representing all official provinces, territories and languages determine the official recipients in each category. In an effort to recognize more outstanding albums and performers in higher-subscribed categories, the number of nominees in the Contemporary Album of the Year, New/Emerging Artist of the Year, Solo Artist of the Year, and English Songwriter(s) of the Year categories have been expanded.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards were established in 2005 to bring greater exposure to the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music, celebrating and promoting it in all its forms.

A complete list of 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominees follows, while more information may be found online at www.folkawards.ca.

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Traditional Album of the Year

Easy Money by Old Man Luedecke
Horizons by Vishtèn
Queen City Jubilee by The Slocan Ramblers
Territoires by Le Vent du Nord
Watchmaker by Shannon Quinn

Contemporary Album of the Year

Assiniboine & the Red by The Small Glories
Citizen Alien by Leaf Rapids
Getaway by Abigail Lapell
Love, Inevitable by Jenn Grant
The Al Purdy Songbook by Various Artists
The Maze by Ariana Gillis
Time Travel by Lennie Gallant
Up Against The Sky by Dave Gunning

Children’s Album of the Year

It Takes a Village by Ginalina
Lullabies For Big Eyes by The Kerplunks
Magical Lullabies by Amos J & Jérôme Fortin
Rocks and Roots by Will’s Jams
You, Me and the Sea by Splash’N Boots

Traditional Singer of the Year

Rachel Davis for Ashlar (Còig)
Joshua Haulli for AQQUT
Sophie Lavoie for Portraits (Sophie & Fiachra)
Old Man Luedecke for Easy Money
Allison Lupton for Words of Love

Contemporary Singer of the Year

Matt Andersen for Halfway Home By Morning
Jenn Grant for Love, Inevitable
Dave Gunning for Up Against The Sky
Lydia Persaud for Let Me Show You
Andrea Ramolo for Homage

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year

Itamar Erez for Mi Alegria
Sabin Jacques for Grandes Rencontres (Sabin Jacques & Rachel Aucoin)
Graham Lindsey for TradHead
Jon Pilatzke for Amongst Friends
Richard Wood for Unbroken

Instrumental Group of the Year

Emilyn Stam & Filippo Gambetta for Shorelines
Mairi Rankin & Eric Wright for The Cabin Sessions
Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres for Mandorla
The Fitzgeralds for The Fitzgeralds
Toronto Tabla Ensemble for Bhumika

Vocal Group of the Year

Fortunate Ones for Hold Fast
Geneviève et Alain for De la rivière à la mer
Musique à bouches for L’habit de plumes
The Small Glories for Assiniboine & The Red
The Sweet Lowdown for Low Clouds in the Morning

Ensemble of the Year

Haley Richardson & Quinn Bachand for When The Wind Blows High and Clear
Oliver the Crow for Oliver the Crow
The Slocan Ramblers for Queen City Jubilee
The Small Glories for Assiniboine & The Red
Vishtèn for Horizons

Solo Artist of the Year

Michael Jerome Browne for That’s Where It’s At
Jenn Grant for Love, Inevitable
Dave Gunning for Up Against The Sky
Sarah MacDougall for All The Hours I Have Left To Tell You Anything
Danny Michel for White & Gold
Irish Mythen for Little Bones

English Songwriter(s) of the Year

Ben Caplan, Christian Barry for Old Stock (Ben Caplan)
Lennie Gallant for Time Travel
Dave Gunning for Up Against The Sky
Kaia Kater for Grenades
Abigail Lapell for Getaway
Cara Luft, JD Edwards, Neil Osborne, Catherine MacLellan for Assiniboine & The Red (The Small Glories)
Madeleine Roger for Cottonwood
Justin Rutledge for Passages

French Songwriter(s) of the Year

Bernard Adamus for C’qui nous reste du Texas
Jordane Labrie, Clement Desjardins for 12 jours (Jordane)
Jean Leloup for L’étrange pays
Safia Nolin for Dans le noir
Caroline Savoie for Pourchasser l’aube

Indigenous Songwriter(s) of the Year

Sugar Plum Croxen, Shelley Hamilton, George Elliott Clarke for Constitution (The Afro-Métis Nation)
Jenelle Duval, Danielle Benoit, Stacey Howse for Qama’si (Eastern Owl)
Joshua Haulli for AQQUT
Diyet van Lieshout for Diyet & the Love Soldiers
Mike Paul for Origine

World Solo Artist of the Year

Ben Caplan for Old Stock
Cristian De La Luna for SABES
Quique Escamilla for Encomienda
Roberto López for Kaleido Strópico
Wesli for Rapadou Kreyol

World Group of the Year

Al Qahwa for Cairo Moon
Ayrad for Zoubida
Emilyn Stam & Filippo Gambetta for Shorelines
Pierre Schryer & Adam Dobres for Mandorla
Toronto Tabla Ensemble for Bhumika

New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year

Birds Of Bellwoods for Victoria
Geneviève Racette for No Water, No Flowers
Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys for Dreamland
Hook & Nail for Ghosts of Taylorton
Lydia Persaud for Let Me Show You
T. Buckley for Miles We Put Behind
The Lumber Jills for The Lumber Jills
The Unfaithful Servants for The Unfaithful Servants

Producer(s) of the Year

Erin Costelo for Grenades (Kaia Kater)
Steve Dawson for Halfway Home By Morning (Matt Andersen)
Luke Doucet for The Northern South Vol. 2 (Whitehorse)
Daniel Ledwell for Time Travel (Lennie Gallant)
Jory Nash, Chris Stringer for Wilderness Years (Jory Nash)

Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award

Ben Caplan for Old Stock
Elisapie for The Ballad of the Runaway Girl
Samson Wrote for Pigeon
Tri-Continental for Dust Dance
Vishtèn for Horizons

Young Performer(s) of the Year

Conway for Conway
Nick Earle for Breaking New Ground
Joshua Haulli for AQQUT
Keltie for Expect Inhibition
Jacques Surette for Marche, marche, marche

In the running for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year are Inuusiq (The Jerry Cans), The Weather Station (The Weather Station), Watershed (Amelia Curran), Bone On Bone (Bruce Cockburn), and Medicine Songs (Buffy Sainte-Marie).

Traditional Roots Album of the Year nominees include Jayme Stone’s Folklife (Jayme Stone), What We Leave Behind (The East Pointers), Illusion & Doubt (The Dead South), The Willow Collection (Cassie and Maggie), and Rove (Coig).

The Dead South (a Regina, Saskatchewan-based folk-bluegrass ensemble) and The Jerry Cans (a band from Iqualui, Nunavut, who fuse folk and country music with traditional Inuit throat singing) also are among the five nominees for Breakthrough Group of the Year. Amelia Curran, an award-winning singer-songwriter from St. John’s, Newfoundland, also is among the nominees for Songwriter of the Year — as is Rose Cousins, an award-winning singer-songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia; both are previous JUNO Award recipients.

Medicine Songs by Buffy Sainte-Marie, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her thought-provoking lyrics and her passionate advocacy for Aboriginal people, also is among the nominees for Indigenous Music Album of the Year. In addition to a music career spanning more than 50 years, Sainte-Marie has been a social activist, educator and philanthropist and has sought to protect indigenous intellectual property and championed indigenous artists and performers. In recognition of those efforts, she received the Alan Waters Humanitarian Award during last year’s JUNO Awards ceremonies.

A complete list of JUNO Awards nominees can be found, along with additional information, online at www.junoawards.ca.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed Leonard Cohen, a prolific poet and songwriter, who died last November at age 82, as “one of the greatest artists Canada has ever produced.” His last album, You Want It Darker, was released just three weeks prior to his death. During the televised portion of the JUNOs celebration of Canadian music, singer-songwriter Feist paid tribute to Cohen with her rendition of “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.”

The East Pointers, a spirited Celtic folk trio from Prince Edward Island, was honored for its album Secret Victory. Featuring guitarist Jake Charron and cousins Tim Chiasson (fiddle) and Koady Chiasson (banjo), all of whom also sing, The East Pointers are helping to bring traditional music to a new generation of listeners through their lively and danceable approach to it.

The Fretless, a folk quartet whose music fuses classical arrangements and folk melodies, received a JUNO for Instrumental Album of the Year for Bird’s Nest. This is just the latest in a series of awards for the group, which previously was honored by both the Western Canadian Music Association and the Canadian Folk Music Awards for its 2012 debut Waterbound and its 2014 self-titled sophomore release.

Buffy Sainte-Marie, a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and social activist, received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award. Sainte Marie, whose musical career spans more than 50 years, and whose songs have also been covered by hundreds of other artists, is known for her thought-provoking lyrics and her passionate advocacy for Aboriginal people. Also an educator and philanthropist, Sainte-Marie has sought to protect indigenous intellectual property and championed indigenous artists and performers. Her latest release, Power in the Blood, won a JUNO Award last year for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year.

Sarah McLachlan, an 11-time JUNO and three-time Grammy Award-winning artist, was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, while her latest release, Wonderland, was named Adult Contemporary Album of the Year. Besides being a multi-platinum, award-winning singer-songwriter and a much-celebrated contemporary Canadian artist, McLachlan is credited with creating Lilith Fair 20 years ago – a festival dedicated to showcasing and supporting female artists. She was the recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2015 and of the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award in 2006.

A complete list of JUNO Awards winners can be found, along with additional information, on line at www.junoawards.ca.

Ryder received nods in five categories: Fan’s Choice, Artist of the Year, Single of the Year (“What I Wouldn’t Do”), Album of the Year (Harmony), and Songwriter of the Year. Only indie rockers Arcade Fire, with six nods, received more nominations.

Nominees for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo include So Say We All by David Francey, Tin Star by Lindi Ortega, Come Cry With Me by Daniel Romano, Valleyheart by Justin Rutledge, and Don’t Get Too Grand by Donovan Woods.

Groups in the running for a Roots & Traditional Album of the Year award include The Devin Cuddy Band for Volume One, Little Miss Higgins & The Winnipeg Five for Bison Ranch Recording Sessions, Lee Harvey Osmond for The Folk Sinner, The Strumbellas for We Still Move On Dance Floors, and The Wilderness of Manitoba for Island of Echoes.

Among the five nominees for Adult Alternative Album of the Year are singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith for Forever Endeavour and alt-country rockers The Sadies for Internal Sounds. Sexsmith also is in the running for Songwriter of the Year.

The 43rd annual JUNO Awards will be presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (CARAS) on Sunday, March 30, at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.