A Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Joni Mitchell (pictured), the widely acclaimed Canadian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is known for such songs as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Both Sides, Now,” “Chelsea Morning,” “Help Me,” and “River.”

In the running for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year are Strange Trip Ahead (Mariel Buckley), The Hammer & The Rose (Matt Andersen), Purple Gas (Noeline Hofmann) These Dark Canyons (The Young Novelists), and Further From The Country (William Prince). Traditional Roots Music Album of the Year nominees include I Lost My Heart on Friday (Aerialists), Gold And Coal (Cassie and Maggie), The Moon’s Daughter (Heather MacIsaac), Heal The Divide (Morgan Toney), and Folk Signals (The Southern Residents).

Also of potential interest to AcousticMusicScene.com readers are the nominees for Blues Album of the Year. These include Sing Pretty Blues (Crystal Shawanda), Ooh Yeah! (Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne), The Medicine (Miss Emily), Answer The Call (Secondhand Dreamcar), and Hear My Heart (Steve Mariner).

In addition to her Contemporary Album of the Year nomination for Purple Gas, Noeline Hofmann is among the 10 nominees for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. . Among the five nominees for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year are Conditions of Love Vol. 1 (Rose Cousins) and Better Broken (Sarah McLachlan, while Children’s Album of the Year nominees include Little Leaf (Chris McKhool).

In total, there are 248 nominees in the running across 47 categories for Canada’s top music awards. Eight-time JUNO Award-winner Justin Bieber and Tate McRae lead the pack with six nominations each.

NITO’s founding members and the more than 50 others who have since joined the organization “need and want to be assured that our voices are heard in Washington.” Its 14 founding small independent businesses (Entourage Talent, Ground Control Touring, High Road Touring, Leave Home Booking, Madison House, Mongrel Music, New Frontier Touring, Panache Booking, Partisan Arts, Pinnacle Entertainment, Sound Talent Group, Skyline Artists Agency, TKO, and The Kurland Agency) alone currently represent approximately 2,000 artists, according to the news release. “In 2019, collectively, more than 40,000 concerts were booked by NITO’s members across the U.S. with over 12.5 million tickets sold, generating in excess of half-a-billion dollars in gross ticket sales annually. The additional financial impact of these performances on surrounding communities is over $1 billion.”

“As owners of our individual entertainment businesses, we have given our all and more to our firms,” says Nadia Prescher, co-founder of Madison House, an artist management and booking agency. “Our small businesses are self-funded and independent, but nonetheless have a significant economic impact on the many who rely on our work. My fellow NITO co-founders and members are calling on the independent human spirit that all like-minded self-starters can get behind. We are focused on government support and reform during this economic crisis, while building an environment where entertainment entrepreneurs can discuss their common goals and stand together in unity.”

Among the artists on Madison House’s roster are 10,000 Maniacs, The Alternate Routes, Matt Andersen, Brooke Annibale, Chris Barron, Carbon Leaf, Jesse Cook, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, Alan Doyle, The East Pointers, Eddie From Ohio, Dom Flemons, Freddy & Francine, Katie Herzig, Lucy Kaplansky, Stephen Kellogg, Terra Lightfoot, Ryan Montbleau, Willie Nile, Glen Phillips, Steve Poltz, Willy Porter, Rainbow Girls, Rising Appalachia, Richard Shindell, and Vienna Teng.

Talent agents who represent artists and negotiate the live performance aspect of their careers are NITO’s primary focus. However, the organization “welcomes a broader coalition of the live music ecosystem beyond independent talent agencies — including U.S.-based small businesses and majority owner-operated independent management companies,’ according to its news release. U.S.-based artists, crew, and others engaged in live touring also are welcome to join as non-dues-paying associate members.

“NITO stands with the artists and all of those who make up the world of live performances,” says Frank Riley, founder of High Road Touring. “It’s a fully integrated world, that is reliant on and supportive of one another, as no one can productively and successfully navigate this environment on their own. When all things come together in the best way, these shows and this music bring joy and happiness in an otherwise troublesome and dangerous world.”

High Road Touring books such artists as Alabama Shakes, Sam Amidon, Joan Baez, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Hayes Carll, Cowboy Junkies, The Deep Dark Woods, Jerry Douglas, The Earls of Leicester, Tommy Emmanuel, Jay Farrar, Mary Gauthier, Patty Griffin, The Handsome Family, Emmylou Harris, Joe Henry, Indigo Girls, Pokey LaFarge, The Low Anthem, Aimee Mann, James McMurtry, Tift Merritt, Michaela Anne, Buddy Miller, Parker Millsap, John Moreland, Shawn Mullins, Graham Nash, Over The Rhine, Nathaniel Rateliff, Shovels & Rope, They Might Be Giants, Richard Thompson, Jeff Tweedy, Suzanne Vega, Violent Femmes, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, and George Winston.

“Artists were among the first to suffer from the results of the pandemic and will be among the last to recover,” maintains Harvey Mason, Jr., chairman and interim president/CEO of The Recording Academy. “As citizens turn to music during these troubled times, it demonstrates that music makers must survive and thrive. We look forward to working with NITO as partners in improving the lives of artists.”

Originally slated to take place during two Awards Weekend Concerts at the PEI Convention Centre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, April 3-4, Canada’s leading folk music event took place virtually in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Observing social distancing protocols, Benoit Bourque and Jean Hewson co-hosted the bilingual broadcast from 1,600 miles apart.

A two-stage jury process featuring 100 jurors based across Canada and representing all official provinces, territories and languages determined the official recipients in each of 19 categories. 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 were expanded this year. Donnie Campbell of Nova Scotia was named as the recipient of the Slaight unsung Hero Award.

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 https://folkawards.ca.

Traditional Album of the Year

Queen City Jubilee by The Slocan Ramblers

Contemporary Album of the Year

Assiniboine & the Red by The Small Glories

Children’s Album of the Year

Lullabies For Big Eyes by The Kerplunks

Traditional Singer of the Year

Rachel Davis for Ashlar (Còig)

Contemporary Singer of the Year

Matt Andersen for Halfway Home By Morning

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year

Sabin Jacques for Grandes Rencontres (Sabin Jacques & Rachel Aucoin)

Instrumental Group of the Year

Mairi Rankin & Eric Wright for The Cabin Sessions

Vocal Group of the Year

The Small Glories for Assiniboine & The Red

Ensemble of the Year

The Small Glories for Assiniboine & The Red

Solo Artist of the Year

Irish Mythen for Little Bones

English Songwriter(s) of the Year

Abigail Lapell for Getaway

French Songwriter(s) of the Year

Bernard Adamus for C’qui nous reste du Texas

Indigenous Songwriter(s) of the Year

Diyet van Lieshout for Diyet & the Love Soldiers

World Solo Artist of the Year

Wesli for Rapadou Kreyol

World Group of the Year

Ayrad for Zoubida

New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year

Geneviève Racette for No Water, No Flowers

Producer(s) of the Year

Daniel Ledwell for Time Travel (Lennie Gallant)

Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award

Elisapie for The Ballad of the Runaway Girl

Young Performer(s) of the Year

Joshua Haulli for AQQUT

During the online awards broadcast, Rob Oakie, executive director of Music PEI, announced that the 2021 CFMAs would take place in Charlottetown, PEI next April.

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.

————————————————————

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

Besides Guthrie – who will perform “Alice’s Restaurant” in its entirety along with other songs – and Paxton — a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient known for such songs as “The Last Thing On My Mind,” “Bottle of Wine,” “Ramblin’ Boy” and “Whose Garden Was This” – this year’s featured artists include Baskery, Craig Bickhardt, Michael Braunfeld, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Bruce Cockburn, Della Mae, El Caribefunk, Shakey Graves, The HillBenders (presenting Tommy: A Bluegrass Opry), Hoots & Hellmouth, The Lee Boys, Lyle Lovett & His Large Band, Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards, Parker Millsap, North Mississippi Allstars, Pesky J. Nixon, Psych-A-Billy, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Spuyten Duyvil and Tall Heights. Canadian artists slated to perform include Matt Andersen, Dave Gunning, Irish Mythen, Cassie & Maggie MacDonald, and Lindi Ortega.

As the names above suggest, the Philadelphia Folk Festival features an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary music that stretches the boundaries of folk, helping to broaden its appeal and reach a new generation of listeners. Both notable national touring artists and emerging ones are on the bill

In addition, with assistance of a grant from the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation, 35 members of the Philadelphia Music Co-Op have been accorded performance slots. Now in its fourth year, the co-op, an offshoot of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, works with area musicians to showcase their talents, collaborate, and develop them as artists. Those set to perform include The Band of Rivals, Mia Bergmann, Black Horse Motel, Bobtown, Daniel S. Bower, John Byrne Band, Dylan Jane, Todd Faysnacht, The Hello Strangers, Jersey Corn Pickers, Andrew Jude, Kevin Killen, Lizanne Knott, Ladybird, Lovers League, John Mallinen, Paul Mamolou, Man About a Horse, Cynthia G. Mason, Andrea Nardello, Aaron Nathans & Michael G. Ronstadt, No Good Sister, Ray Owen, Naelee Rae, Katherine Rondeau, Paul Saint John, Silverton, Sylvia Platypus, Jeneen Terrana, Jesse Terry, Tin Bird Choir, Elspeth Tremblay, Hawk Tubley, Valley Creek, and Scott Wolfson and Other Heroes.

In addition to musical performances on eight stages — including dancing to bands on the 3,500 square-foot covered pavilion known as the Lobby Stage — there will be an array of children’s activities and kid-oriented musicians in the shady Dulcimer Grove. Midnight outdoor film screenings of Alice’s Restaurant and A Mighty Wind are also on the docket. As in years past, many artisans will display and sell their creations in an open-air juried crafts area.

There’s also a festival within the festival for those who opt to camp onsite and enjoy some late-night camaraderie and musical revelry. The 40-acre campground – chock-a-block with tents – is home to a unique late-night scene, with singing by campfires and jamming into the early morning hours. David Dye, host of the syndicated World Café radio program, will host a special Thursday night concert on the Camp Stage exclusively for all-festival camping ticket holders.

For more information about the festival and to order tickets, visit www.pfs.org/folk-festival.

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. Outstanding achievements will be recognized in 19 categories, while Unsung Hero and Folk Music Canada’s Innovator Award recipients will be named in October. Sixty-eight artists and groups from nine provinces and one territory in Canada were announced as nominees during a Sept. 24 news conference at Folk Music Ontario’s Ottawa headquarters.

Bachand, who has been called “Canada’s best Celtic guitarist” by Ashley MacIsaac, with whom he’s toured, was nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year and Young Performer of the Year, while his group Brishen (which means bringer of the storm) snagged nods for Instrumental Group of the Year, Ensemble of the Year and World Group of the Year. Bachand has recorded three albums and received two Irish Music Awards during the past five years. Brishen’s musical repertoire ranges from Django Reinhardt compositions to more contemporary works.

Benoit Bourque of La Bottine Souriante, and formerly of Le Vent du Nord and Matapat, joins the CBC’s Shelagh Rogers in hosting the bilingual gala awards presentation. The event marks the culmination of a CFMA weekend that begins on Nov. 27 and will feature performances by a number of talented Canadian artists. Tickets for the gala show are available to the public for $40, while weekend passes are $70.

A complete list of 2014 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominees follows. More information may be found online at www.folkawards.ca.

Young Performer of the Year

Keiffer Mclean (Drama in the Attic)
Rebecca Lappa (Ode to Tennyson)
Quinn Bachand (Brishen)
Kacy & Clayton (The Day Is Past & Gone)
Benjamin Rogers (Wayfarer)

New/Emerging Artist of the Year

The Bros. Landreth (Let It Lie)
Robyn Dell’Unton (Little Lines)
Scott Cook (One More Time Around)
Quinn Bachand (Brishen)
Kacy & Clayton (The Day Is Past & Gone)

Pushing The Boundaries (celebrating innovation in creating new folk sounds)

Tanya Tagag (Animism)
MAZ (Chasse-Galerie)
Mark Berube (Russian Dolls)
The Fretless (The Fretless)
West My Friend (When The Ink Dries)

English Songwriter of the Year

Shari Ulrich (Everywhere I Go)
James Keelaghan (History)
Lennie Gallant (Live Acoustic at The Carlton)
Del Barber (Prairieography)
Chris Ronald (Timeline)

French Songwriter of the Year

Laurence Helie (A Present le Passe)
Klo Pelgag (L’Alchimie des monstres)
Alexandre Poulin (Le movement des marees)
Antoine Corriveau (Les Ombres Longues)
Julie Aube, Viviane Roy et Katrine Noel – Les Hay Babies (Mon Homesick Heart)

Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year

Tanya Tagag (Animism)
Vince Fontaine (Colors)
Amanda Rheaume (Keep a Fire)
Buffy MacNeil and Larry Boutilier – Buffy & Larry (Surrounded)
Jasmine Netsena (Take You With Me)

World Group of the Year

MAZ (Chasse-Galerie)
Shtreimi (Eastern Hora)
TANGA (HavanaElectro)
Romain Malagnoux (Les frontiers Imaginaires)
Brishen (Brishen)

World Solo Artist of the Year

Quique Escamilla (500 Years of Night)
Jorge Martinez (Carnaval)
Susan Aglukark (Dreaming Of Home)
Amanda Martinez (Manana)
Robert Michaels (Via Italia)

Traditional Album of the Year

Coig (Five)
Poor Angus (Gathering)
Moustafa Kouyate & Romain Malagnoux (Les fronteres imaginaires)
The High Bar Gang (Lost and Undone: A Gospel Bluegrass Companion)
Sarah Jane Scouten (The Cape)

Traditional Singer of the Year

Kim Beggs (Beauty and Breaking)
Fafard & Schwartz (Borrowed Horses)
Melisande [electrotrad] (Les metamorphoses)
Sarah Jane Scouten (The Cape)
Ventanas (Ventanas)

Contemporary Album of the Year

The Bros. Landreth (Let It Lie)
Colleen Rennison (See The Sky About To Rain)
Jill Zmud (Small Matters of Life and Death)
Matt Andersen (Weightless)
The Strumbellas (We Still Move On Dance Floors)

Contemporary Singer of the Year

Matthew Barber (Big Romance)
Jadea Kelly (Clover)
James Keelaghan (History)
Del Barber (Prairieography)
Matt Andersen (Weightless)

Instrumental Group of the Year

The Andrew Collins Trio (A Play On Words)
MAZ (Chasse Galerie)
Coig (Five)
Brishen (Brishen)
The Fretless (The Fretless)

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year

Maxim Cormier (2)
Gillian Boucher (Attuned)
Steve Dawson (Rattlesnake Cage)
Jayme Stone (The Other Side of the Air)
Robert Michaels (Via Italia)

Vocal Group of the Year

The Fugitives (Everything Will Happen)
Gathering Sparks (Gathering Sparks)
The High Bar Gang (Lost and Undone: A Gospel Bluegrass Companion)
The Marrieds (Saving Hope)
Sweet Alibi (We’ve Got To)

Ensemble of the Year

The High Bar Gang (Lost and Undone: A Gospel Bluegrass Companion)
Brishen (Brishen)
Notre Dame de Grass (That’s How The Music Begins)
The Fretless (The Fretless)
Ventanas (Ventanas)

Solo Artist of the Year

Matthew Barber (Big Romance)
Shari Ulrich (Everywhere I Go)
James Keelaghan (History)
Lennie Gallant (Live Acoustic at The Carleton)
Del Barber (Prairieography)

Children’s Album of the Year

Helen Austin (Colour It)
Rattle and Strum (Rattle and Strum)
Alex Mahe (Reveiillons les bonnes chansons)
Kathy Reid Naiman (When It’s Autumn)
Fred Penner (Where In The World)

Producer of the Year

Maziade (Chasse-Galerie – MAZ)
Tom Terrell and Karl Falkenham (City Ghosts – The Modern Grass)
Luke Doucet (Ephemere sans repere – Whitehorse)
The Fretless with Joby Baker (The Fretless)
Steve Dawson (St. Louis Times – Jim Byrnes)

The Deep Dark Woods, a folk-rock, roots and alt-country band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who were touring outside the country, received the Contemporary Album of the Year award for The Place I Left Behind. The Fretless, a quartet whose music is a blend of Celtic, folk and chamber music and who were on tour in Germany, were named as both Instrumental Group of the Year and Ensemble of the Year for their album, Waterbound.

A total of 85 volunteer jurors selected the winners, with five separate jurors for each category, according to Grit Laskin, a veteran Canadian artist, guitar-maker and co-founder of Borealis Recording Company, a leading Canadian folk and roots music label, who also played a pivotal role in creating and organizing the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

The awards ceremony was the highlight of “Folk on the Water,” an event that also featured artist showcases on Thursday and Friday nights and Saturday afternoon, as well as the screening of folk films. The ceremony was punctuated with performances by singer-songwriter Carla Luft from Winnipeg, Manitoba; The Spinney Brothers, a bluegrass quartet from Nova Scotia; The Atlantic Ballet, and blues-roots guitarist and singer-songwriter Matt Andersen, who hails from Perth-Andover, a blue-collar village in New Brunswick. Harmonic virtuoso Mike Stevens joined both The Atlantic Ballet and Andersen on a song.

In one of the awards show’s moving segments, Cindy Church and Susan Crowe performed “All the Diamonds,” the title track of their late friend and colleague Raylene Rankin’s last solo album. Crowe noted that “She died as she lived – with grace and dignity. “ Acknowledging that she and Cindy were not certain about playing the awards show after Rankin’s death earlier this fall, Crowe said Rankin told them “Go out there; it’s all good; have some fun.” Quebecois folk trio Genticorum closed out the event, joined onstage for a lively musical finale by Matt Andersen, Benoit Bourque, Mike Stevens and Nova Scotia’s Cassie and Maggie MacDonald.

The Unsung Hero Award, recognizing exceptional contribution to the promotion, preservation and presentation of Canadian folk, roots and world music, was presented to Gerry Taylor, a music journalist in New Brunswick for more than 50 years. “I’m still pinching myself; I can’t believe it,” said Taylor, 79, in accepting the award. He has written about music for The Telegraph Journal in New Brunswick since 1958 and continues to write a half-page weekly column on folk and country music. An archive — sampler — of his written works may be found at www.gerrytaylor.thedrawlyn.com.

A complete list of Canadian Folk Music Award winners follows:

Traditional Album of the Year
Metis Fiddler Quartet – Northwest Voyage Nord Ouest

Contemporary Album of the Year
The Deep Dark Woods – The Place I Left Behind

Children’s Album of the Year
Henri Godon – Chansons pour toutes sortes

Traditional Singer of the Year
Lenka Lichtenberg – Songs for the Breathing Walls

Contemporary Singer of the Year
Rose Cousins – We Have Made a Spark

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year
Trent Freeman – Rock Paper Scissors

Instrumental Group of the Year
The Fretless – Waterbound

Vocal Group of the Year
The Once – Row Upon Row of the People They Know

Ensemble of the Year
The Fretless – Waterbound

Solo Artist of the Year
Michael Jerome Browne – The Road is Dark

English Songwriter of the Year
Catherine MacLellan – Silhouette

French Songwriter of the Year
Mes Aieux – A l’aube du printemps

World Group/Artist of the Year
Sultans of String – MOVE

New/Emerging Artist of the Year
Pharis & Jason Romero – A Passing Glimpse

Producer of the Year
Ron Szabo – A Natural Fact (Steve Strongman)

Pushing the Boundaries
Sagapool – Sagapool

Young Performer of the Year
Lucas Chaisson

Innovator of the Year
Mike Stevens

Unsung Hero
Gerry Taylor

Established in 2005, the Canadian Folk Music Awards celebrates and promotes the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada.