Classified Wins Big At ECMAs
Classified (pictured) and Jeremy Ducher celebrated multiple wins at the annual staged in Charlottetown, and Stan Rogers was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, as was the song "Peter's Dream" by Maritime superstar Lennie Gallant.
By Ken Kelley
The 31st annual East Coast Music Awards wrapped up in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on Sunday, capping off a thrilling week for the region’s music industry. As has been customary with the East Coast Music Awards over the last several years, the presentation of the awards was divided up over two evenings, with 13 presented on Thursday and the balance handed out last night.
Heading into the awards, Halifax rapper Classified led with a total of seven nominations. The platinum-selling artist brought four of the trophies home, including Rap/Hip-Hop Recording, Solo Recording and Album of the Year for Tomorrow Could Be The Day Things Change. He also nabbed Video of the Year for his single “Powerless.”
2018 Polaris Music Prize winner and New Brunswick native Jeremy Dutcher earned a trio of award wins, including Contemporary Roots Recording and Rising Star Recording of the Year for his dynamic album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa. Dutcher was also named Indigenous Artist of the Year.
Halifax R&B powerhouse Reeny Smith went home with the Bucky Adams Memorial Award as well as the top prize for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for WWIII: Strength. Courage. Love.
New Brunswick’s Les Hotesses d’Hilaire, whose Thursday night performance during the first installment of the awards set the ‘net abuzz, saw their latest release, Viens Avec Moi, named Group Recording of the Year and French Recording of the Year.
Other notable award winners include April Wine leader Myles Goodwyn’s Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues winning Blues Recording of the Year; long-running Nova Scotia band The Barra MacNeils was named Fans Choice Entertainer of the Year; Postdata, the solo project from Wintersleep guitarist-vocalist Paul Murphy, saw his second release, Let’s Be Wilderness, win Rock Recording of the Year; and P.E.I.’s Vishtèn went home with Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year for Horizons.
On the industry side of things, Sheri Jones’ namesake Jones & Co., which represents some of the biggest names in East Coast talent, including Joel Plaskett, David Myles and Port Cities, among others, was named Management/Manager of the Year. The East was named Media Outlet of the Year while CBC Radio Host Bill Roach won the Media Person of the Year prize. Halifax venue The Carleton was dubbed Venue of the Year for the fourth time, while producer Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Fortunate Ones) won his fifth ECMA for Producer of the Year.
Here is the complete list of all 2019 East Coast Music Award winners:
MUSIC AWARDS
Album of the Year:
Classified - Tomorrow Could Be The Day Things Change (Producer: Luke Boyd)
Blues Recording of the Year:
Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues
Bucky Adams Memorial Award:
Reeny Smith
Classical Composition of the Year:
Charke-Cormier Duo - "Ex Tempore"
Classical Recording of the Year:
Duo Concertante - Perfect Light
Contemporary Roots Recording of the Year:
Jeremy Dutcher - Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
Country Recording of the Year:
Mallory Johnson - Mallory Johnson
Dance Recording of the Year:
PINEO & LOEB - Bump In The Road
Electronic Recording of the Year:
Denique - Shape 1
Enregistrement francophone de l’année:
Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire - Viens avec moi
Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year:
The Barra MacNeils
Fans’ Choice Video of the Year:
Makayla Lynn - "Joyride" (Director: Scott Simpson)
Folk Recording of the Year:
Gunning & Cormier - Two
Gaelic Artist of the Year:
Kyle MacDonald
Group Recording of the Year:
Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire - Viens avec moi
Indigenous Artist of the Year:
Jeremy Dutcher
Inspirational Recording of the Year:
Paul Brace - Liars & Actors
Instrumental Recording of the Year:
Richard Wood - Unbroken
Jazz Recording of the Year:
Ouroboros - Kitchuses
Loud Recording of the Year:
Kilmore - Call Of The Void
Pop Recording of the Year:
Paper Lions - At Long Creek II
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year:
Reeny Smith - WWIII: Strength. Courage. Love.
Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year:
Classified - Tomorrow Could Be The Day Things Change
Rising Star Recording of the Year:
Jeremy Dutcher - Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
Rock Recording of the Year:
Postdata - Let’s Be Wilderness
Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year:
Vishtèn - Horizons
Solo Recording of the Year:
Classified - Tomorrow Could Be The Day Things Change
Song of the Year:
The East Pointers - "Two Weeks" (Producer: Gordie Sampson)
Songwriter of the Year:
Ben Caplan
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Company of the Year:
The Syrup Factory
Event of the Year:
Halifax Jazz Festival
Graphic/Media Artist of the Year:
Abracazebra Productions
Live Sound Engineer of the Year:
Stephen "Snickers" Smith
Management/Manager of the Year:
Jones & Co.
Media Outlet of the Year:
The East
Media Person of the Year:
Bill Roach
Producer of the Year:
Daniel Ledwell
Studio Engineer of the Year:
Scott Ferguson
Studio of the Year:
FMP Matrix: Studio FMP
Venue of the Year:
The Carleton
Video of the Year:
Classified - "Powerless" (Director: Andrew Hines)
HONORARY AWARDS
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductions:
Stan Rogers
"Peter’s Dream" by Lennie Gallant
Directors’ Special Achievement Award:
Lennie Gallant
Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award:
Hubert Francis
Musician’s Achievement Award:
Peter Chaisson
Industry Builder Award:
Yolande Bourgeois
Stompin’ Tom Awards:
Donnie Campbell (CB)
Jeff Liberty (NB)
Anita Best (NL)
Jerry Granelli (NS)
Rob Oakie (PE)
