Canadian Folk Music Awards 2010 Announced

The Sixth Annual Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMAs) were held this year at Winnipeg’s Pantages Playhouse theatre on Saturday, November 20th.

Big things are in store for Toronto Klezmer/East European folk success Beyond The Pale and Newfoundland’s new trad darlings The Once, who doubled their excitement this year, each receiving two awards at the gala. Beyond the Pale took the Instrumental Group of the Year and Pushing the Boundaries awards while The Once, who also gave a stunning gala performance, captured the Traditional Album Of The Year and New Emerging Artist Of The Year Awards.

Newfoundland and Labrador produced another frontrunner this year, with Canadian folk festival favorite Amelia Curran receiving the Solo Artist Of The Year Award. Dala earned Vocal Group Of The Year and storyteller/singer-songwriter John Wort Hannam deservedly took the award for Contemporary Album Of The Year with his fourth full-length recording Queen’s Hotel. Producer of that same album, Juno Award-receiver Steve Dawson, picked up the Producer Of The Year Award for the album Things About Comin’ My Way (Various Artists) over musician/producer Hawksley Workman, who had been nominated for his work on Justin Rutledge’s album The Early Widows.

Honored with the Aboriginal Songwriter Of The Year Award, Aboriginal group Asani could have just as easily taken home the vocal group award with their sweet, tight harmonies and soaring melodies. East Coast sweetheart Rose Cousins, whose star began to rise after her triumph at the Mountain Stage New Song contest in 2007, garnered the Contemporary Singer Of The Year prize, while Quebec’s supremely talented and beloved Yves Lambert picked up Traditional Singer Of The Year.

English and French Songwriters Of the Year are veteran singer-songwriter Ian Tamblyn and Francophone romanticist Francis D’Octobre, respectively. Other grabs for Francophone artists are Juno Award-receivers and previous CFMA recipients Le Vent du Nord, for Ensemble Of The Year, and accordeonist extraordinaire Alexandre Boivin Caron from Montmagny, Quebec, for Young Performer Of The Year.

The Sokun Trio, now based in Montreal (although the group are originally Tunisian and Lebanese-born), secured World Group Of The Year and 2010 Juno Award-recipient Sicilian griot Dominic Mancuso accepted the World Solo Artist Of The Year Award.

Children’s Album Of The Year went to long-time childrens’ entertainer Andrew Queen for his high-energy campfire vibe CD Too Tall while guitar-picking virtuoso and funny man Wendell Ferguson, who says, “It’s taken me over 40 years to become a child prodigy,” took the Instrumental Solo Artist Of The Year Award.

This year’s CFMAs saw Ian Tyson accept the Resonance Award. He is the second recipient of this prestigious award, presented by the Canadian Museum of Civilization for outstanding lifetime achievement in promoting, preserving or performing music in Canada. Tyson is perhaps best known for his song “Four Strong Winds” with former partner Sylvia Tyson and of course more recently for his albums depicting life on the range.

Performing at the gala was a wide-ranging set of some of Canada’s top folk acts, including Benoit Bourque; long-time folkie David Essig; blues and African guitar-slinger Madagascar Slim; this year’s double recipients The Once; hot Halifax guitarist Don Ross; Blackie & The Rodeo Kings mainstay Stephen Fearing; dynamic vocalist and superb songwriter Annabelle Chvostek; driving acoustic bluegrass band Shearwater; and seasoned activist/folksinger Heather Bishop.

2010 Canadian Folk Music Awards Recipients

Traditional Album of the Year

The Once

Contemporary Album of the Year

Queen’s Hotel

Children’s Album of the Year

Andrew Queen – Too Tall

Traditional Singer of The Year

Yves Lambert – Bal À L’huile

Contemporary Singer Of The Year

The Send Off

Instrumental Solo Artist of The Year