Music News Digest: The Country Music Association of Ontario Announces CMAOntario Award Winners

Awards news

On June 2, The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) announced the winners of the 12th Annual CMAOntario Awards, presented by Slaight Music and held in Hammerson Hall at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. Heading the list with two wins apiece were Jason Blaine, Owen Riegling and James Barker Band. Winners in 17 categories plus special awards recipients were honoured. Performing were 2024 CMAOntario award winners Riegling, Blaine, Nicole Rayy and Elyse Saunders, and nominees Karli June, Griffen Palmer, River Town Saints, Sugar Crush, Callie McCullough, Ryan Langdon and The Western Swing Authority.

The Award Show was preceded by a weekend of activities in Mississauga as part of the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend,May 31-June 2, including Songs & Stories: Songwriters in the Round, R2i TuneUp Conference, Street Fair, Bonfire and Tailgate Party. The CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend will return to Mississauga in 2026. Find the full list of winners below and more on the awards here.

The Winners of the 12th Annual CMAOntario Awards are:

SINGLE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Pure Country
The Road that Raised You Up - Jason Blaine

ALBUM OF THE YEAR sponsored by Country 106.7 Kitchener
Greatest Show on Dirt - Meghan Patrick

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR sponsored by SOCAN
Jason Blaine, The Road the Raised You Up, recorded by Jason Blaine

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by IBEW Local 353
Elyse Saunders

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by IBEW Local 353
Owen Riegling

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR sponsored by Country 103
James Barker Band

RECORD PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR
Shawn Moore

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Mackenzie Leigh Meyer

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Slaight Music
Owen Riegling

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR sponsored by Jim Dunlop Productions
Honky Tonkin About - The Reklaws ft. Drake Milligan
Dirty - Nicole Rayy
(Tied)

INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR sponsored by Manrkē
Dave Woods

FRANCOPHONE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Reney Ray

FANS’ CHOICE sponsored by Visit Mississauga
Tim Hicks

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR sponsored by Cithara Guitars
Shane Guse

COMPASS AWARD
James Barker Band

HOLLY & STEVE KASSAY GENEROUS SPIRIT AWARD
Walter Nowakowski

IMPACT AWARD
Charlie Major

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (LARGE MARKET) sponsored by Fielding Estate Winery
KX 94.7, Hamilton

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (MEDIUM MARKET) sponsored by Lucknow’s Music in the Fields
Hot Country 93.9, Brantford

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (SMALL MARKET)
Pure Country 106, Orillia

– The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (‘BPAC’) established its Hall of Fame in 2013, and inductees since then have included the internationally acclaimed conductor Boris Brott, and legendary Canadian comedian and broadcaster Gordie Tapp. Just added to the list is local resident and singer-songwriter Chris McKhool, leader of the internationally-acclaimed world music ensemble Sultans of String. McKhool has won seven Canadian Folk Music Awards and multiple other awards, and earned four Juno nominations. McKhool’s induction was announced at the 2024-2025 ‘BPAC Presents’ Season Launch.

– Amongst the many awards handed out at Canadian Music Week this year, one stands out for this scribe. At the RadioDays North America Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, my longtime comrade in ink (and fellow Billboard Canada contributor) David Farrell was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by CMW. It was fitting that the much-deserved honour for the veteran music trade journalist and editor was bestowed by Gary Slaight and CMW head Neill Dixon, two key contributors to Farrell's career. Congrats David.

– This year’s Polaris Music Prize Long List Announcement event, presented by Canada Council for the Arts, will take place on June 11 at Sonic Boom Records in Toronto. It will name the 40 nominated albums selected by the 200+ jurors for the prestigious and lucrative prize. That Long List will then be whittled down to 10 Short List finalists.The announcement video will kick-off at 6 pm PM ET.

Industry news

– The critically acclaimed Canadian “in the semi-round” songwriter series, Four Chords and the Truth, makes its New York City debut at City Winery on June 10, with a talent-packed lineup. That comprises Juno-winning country singer-songwriter Tenille Townes, hit songwriter Lowell (co-writer of Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and the Beaches’ “Blame Brett," amongst others) , Nova Scotian folk artist Dave Gunning, emerging songwriter Stacey Ryan, and Four Chords founder/curator/host, songwriter Andrea England. Of note: Lowell was just honoured at Billboard Canada's Power Players event with the inaugural Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award.

–Applications for Music Nova Scotia's Export Accelerator program are now open. This is designed to help artists from the province showcase at a number of national and international music conferences and events, including, in fall and winter 2024, ITCH, A3C, Folk Music Ontario, Come Together and Viva Sounds The deadline to apply is 3 weeks prior to the festival start date. More info here.

–A capacity crowd at The Capitol in Hamilton revelled in a solo matinee performance by much-lauded indie rock singer-songwriter and author Dave Bidini, a Lou Molinaro Presents show). Always an engaging performer, he delivered a well-crafted set comprising eloquent solo Bidiniband originals alongside versions of tunes by the Rheostatics, the band with whom he remains most closely associated ("Legal Age Life At Variety Store" was a set highlight). In his very literate tunes, Bidini brought characters like ill-fated NHL star Bryan Fogarty and Moncton racers to life, and one song detailing life on the road in a band drew laughter. No surprise that the attentive audience was full of such local musicians as Tom and Thompson Wilson, Martin Verrall, Dean Fulton and Darryl Gould (who opened). A fun afternoon.

– Interest in the original Toronto punk scene remains high, and one of its key players, The Scenics, have just released a new collection of 10 songs they recorded back in 1976, with eight never having been released. New Part In Town can best be described as proto-punk, and it it shows the band as being heavily influenced by pioneers of the form. A 9-minute version of Television classic "Little Johnny Jewel" is included, and there's song entitled "Jonathan Richman." The group was built around the songs of vocalists and songwriters Ken Badger (guitarist) and Andy Meyers (bass), and this album has a refreshingly adventurous sound. More archive material is believed to be coming next year.