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FYI

Tragically Hip to Receive Humanitarian Award

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has announced that The Tragically Hip will be honoured with the Humanitarian Award, presented by Music Canada.

 Tragically Hip to Receive Humanitarian Award

By FYI Staff

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has announced that The Tragically Hip will be honoured with the Humanitarian Award, presented by Music Canada.


The conferment (formerly known as the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award) recognizes outstanding Canadian artists or industry leaders whose philanthropic contributions have “positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond.”

The group has helped to raise and donate millions of dollars for various social and environmental causes including Camp Trillium, The Canadian Cancer Society, the Sunnybrook Foundation, and the Special Olympics over the course of a three-plus decade career that came to an end with the death of frontman Gord Downie after his battle with brain cancer ended in 2017.

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Most recently, the band donated $50,000 to music industry charity, Unison Benevolent Fund, through the sale of their “Courage Masks.” The Unison Assistance program has been providing emergency financial relief for musicians and crew members during the ongoing pandemic. The reusable non-medical cloth masks are still available for purchase here.

The Tragically Hip, winner of 15 Junos and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees, will be present to accept the prestigious award during the 50th annual edition of the Juno Awards that is to be nationally broadcast on CBC TV, Gem, Radio One, CBC Music and streamed globally Sunday, May 16 on CBCmusic.ca/junos.

Past recipients include Arcade Fire, Rush, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Neil Young, David Foster, Gary Slaight, Tom Cochrane, Simple Plan, Bruce Cockburn, Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Paul Brandt, and couple (Our Lady Peace frontman) Raine Maida and (singer-pianist). Chantal Kreviazuk.

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Rob Hirst
Courtesy Photo

Rob Hirst

FYI

Obituaries: The Tragically Hip, Denise Donlon and Others Remember Midnight Oil's Rob Hirst

This week we also acknowledge the passing of reggae luminary Stephen 'Cat' Coore, pioneering jazz guitarist Ralph Towner and Montreal beatboxer and comic Ej Brulé.

Ej Brulé, (born Stephen John Burns), a Montreal beatboxer and comedian who was a popular performer on that city's underground scene, died on Jan. 19, at age 69. A cause of death has not been reported.

Word of his passing was posted on his Facebook page. The post called him "an unstoppable performer — even when he wasn’t on stage. He loved telling jokes, spinning tall tales, and making people laugh. In true Steve fashion, he and Anne [Woolgar] were even married on stage at the Just For Laughs Festival (though he took his vows very seriously)."

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