Toronto, Canada – The 7th annual Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards gala held
November 25th was a star-studded celebrity event where 27 awards were presented
to honor the work and achievements of outstanding Aboriginal musicians and
industry members in Canada.
The big winner of the evening was
Tagaq’s CD, Sinaa, with three awards.
Two awards each went to Winnipeg’s
Little Hawk,
Ryan
D’Aoust, also from
Manitoba, and Cape Breton’s Forever.Manitoba artists shone in the spotlight, with a total of eight awards going to
six Manitoba artists, including
Little Hawk,
Ryan
D’Aoust,
Burnt, Kimberly Dawn,
Lisa Meeches & Kyle Irving, and Hank Horton. Following Manitoba, four awards
went home with Alberta artists, four awards were presented to winners from
Canada’s north (NWT and Nunavut), Saskatchewan artists earned three awards, and
three awards were presented to winners from Ontario.
Tagaq‘s CD Sinaa received three awards: Best Female Artist for Tanya
‘Tagaq’ Gillis, Best Producer/Engineer for producer Juan Hernández and engineer
José “Triki” Trincado, and Best Album Design for Oscar Poza & Montse. Members of
this outstanding team are from Nunavut.
Best Album of the Year and Best Folk Album honors went to
Little Hawk for his CD
1492-1975. Little Hawk, a.k.a. Troy Westwood, is from
Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia’s
Forever also took home two awards: Best Rock Album
and Best Music Video for the recording Something to Dream Of and the
video of the same name.
Ryan
D’Aoust, a 16-year-old left-handed fiddler from Norway House, Manitoba
received the Best Fiddle Album Award for his CD Southside of the Strings,
and the Galaxie Rising Stars Award, granted by Galaxie, CBC’s Continuous Music
Network, to a promising newcomer in Aboriginal Music.
The Best Female Traditional/Cultural Roots Album award went to
Asani for
Rattle & Drum.
Asani is a contemporary a cappella Aboriginal
women’s trio hailing from Alberta.
Diga, a Tlicho (Dogrib) musician from Fort Rae, NWT, was named Best Male Artist.
His CD is called Earth is Crying.
The honors for Best Group or Duo went to
Burnt, the eleven-member ensemble based
in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Burnt’s CD Hometown blends blues, jazz, rock, funk
and traditional First Nations sounds.
Jason
Burnstick & the Rhythm received the Best Instrumental Album Award for
Burn. Burnstick lives in Vancouver, B.C., where he blends the sounds and
rhythms of Latin music and his Cree roots.
Alberta’s
Carl
Quinn was named Best Songwriter for the title song on his CD
Ni Ototem, whose goal is to promote, preserve and share the Cree language.
Kimberly Dawn’s song “Spirit of Our People” won the Best Song/Single honors.
Dawn is from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Lisa Meeches & Kyle Irving took the Best Television Program Award home to
Winnipeg, for the program “First Nation Invasion”. This is the first year
that the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards celebrate the producers with the Best
Television Program Award.
Northern Quebec’s
Beatrice Deer received the Best Inuit Cultural Album Award for
Just Bea. This the first year of the Best Inuit Cultural Album Award.
The Best Blues Album went to
The
WolfPack for their CD, Family Thang.
The
WolfPack is a family of siblings, aged 23-30, from Six Nations, Ontario.
Blackstone Singers, from the Sweetgrass First Nation in Saskatchewan, was honored with
Best Pow Wow Album -Contemporary Award for
Back In The Day.
The Best Rap or Hip Hop Album Award was handed to
Eekwol for her CD
Apprentice to the Mystery. Eekwol is from the Muskoday First Nation
in Saskatchewan.
Honky Tonk Heartache Blues earned
Hank
Horton the Best Country Album
Award. Abie Parenteau a.k.a. “Hank
Horton” is from Duck Bay, Manitoba.
Painted Horse received the Best Pow Wow Album – Traditional Award for
Blackfoot Songs. The Painted Horse singers hail from the Cree, Blood,
Blackfoot, Peigan and Tsuii Tina Nations in Saskatchewan.
The Best Hand Drum Album Award was presented to
Northern Cree Singers from Saddle Lake,
Alberta, for the CD
Sweethearts’ Shuffle.
Joanne
Shenandoah was awarded with the Best International Album Award for her
recording,
Skywoman .
Shenandoah is a Wolf Clan member of the Iroquois Confederacy – Oneida
Nation, and calls Oneida, New York, USA home.
Willie Dunn was honored with the Lifetime Contribution to Aboriginal Music
Award, presented to an individual who dedicates a large part of their life and
career to promoting and developing Aboriginal music. Willie Dunn is singer,
songwriter, musician, playwright, artist, director, award-winning filmmaker, and
First Nations ambassador, who lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
Allan Beaver was awarded the Keeper of Traditions in Aboriginal Music Award,
presented to an individual dedicated to teaching Aboriginal culture through
music. Allan Beaver is an accomplished athlete, public speaker, well-known for
his heartwarming gospel music and an excellent role model. He is a member of the
Bigstone Cree Nation, and lives in Alberta.
The Music Industry Award, presented to an individual, Aboriginal of
non-Aboriginal who is making or has made a significant positive impact on
Canadian Aboriginal music, will be presented to music journalist and author
Brian Wright-McLeod. The launch of Brian Wright-McLeod’s book,
The Encyclopedia Of Native Music (The University of Arizona
Press/University of British Columbia Press) and its musical companion
Soundtrack of a People, took place at the Canadian Aboriginal Music
Awards. Brian is Dakota/Anishnabe and lives in Toronto, Ontario.
The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards acknowledge and honor the keepers,
teachers, promoters, creators and performers of Aboriginal music. The Awards
promote the diversity in, and celebrate the excellence of, Aboriginal music;
they recognize the unique vision of Aboriginal musicians, and they encourage
this rich cultural voice.
The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards gala event took place Friday, November 25,
in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s John Bassett Theatre, in downtown
Toronto. The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards are a highlight of the Canadian
Aboriginal Festival Week, North America’s largest multi-disciplinary Aboriginal
arts event, taking place November 21-27, 2005.
The 2006 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards will see some exciting changes. Amos
Key Jr., who has been involved in the Awards since its inception, will join
Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards Co-Founder Catherine Cornelius as Co-Executive
Producer. Also next year, the 8th annual Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards gala
event will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on November 3, 2006.
The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards are generously supported by Newcap
Broadcasting, Scotiabank, FACTOR, Casino Rama, Galaxie, the Canada Council for
the Arts and EMI Music Canada.
2005 CANADIAN ABORIGINAL MUSIC AWARDS
WINNERS BY CATEGORY
Best Female Artist
Tagaq
Best Male Artist
Diga
Best Group or Duo
Burnt
Best Album of the Year
“1492 – 1975” – Little Hawk
Best Female Traditional/Cultural Roots Album
“Rattle & Drum” – Asani
Best Producer/Engineer
Producer: Juan Hernandez, Engineer: Jose (Triki) Trincado
For “Sinaa” – Tagaq
Best Instrumental Album
“Burn” – Jason Burnstick & the Rhythm
Best Folk Album
“1492–1975” – Little Hawk
Best Album Design
Oscar Poza & Montse
For “Sinaa” – Tagaq
Best Songwriter
Carl Quinn
For Ni Ototem, “Ni Ototem”
Best Rock Album
“Something to Dream Of” – Forever
Best Song/Single
“Spirit of Our People” – Kimberly Dawn
Best Television Program
“First Nation Invasion” – Lisa Meeches & Kyle Irving
Best Inuit Cultural Album
“Just Bea” – Beatrice Deer
Best Fiddle Album
“Southside of the Strings” – Ryan D’Aoust
Best Blues Album
“Family Thang” – The Wolf Pack
Best Pow Wow Album – Contemporary
“Back in the Day” – Blackstone
Best Music Video
“Something to Dream Of” – Forever
Best Rap or Hip Hop Album
“Apprentice to the Mystery” – Eekwol
Best Country Album
“Honky Tonk Heartache Blues” – Hank Horton
Best Pow Wow Album – Traditional
“Blackfoot Songs” – Painted Horse
Best Hand Drum Album
“Sweethearts Shuffle” – Northern Cree
Best International Album
“Skywoman” – Joanne Shenandoah
The Keeper of Traditions
Allan Beaver
The Lifetime Contribution to Aboriginal Music
Willie Dunn
Music Industry Award
Brian Wright-McLeod
Galaxie Rising Stars Award
Ryan D’Aoust
[Photo 1: Tagaq, 2: Asani, 3: Joanne
Shenandoah].
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
