CMAO 2017 Award Nominees – Meghan Patrick leads the way with 7 nominations

The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) is pleased to announce the nominees for the fifth annual CMAOntario Awards. Presented by Slaight Music, with support from the Ontario Media Development Corporation, the awards recognize the talent and achievements of Ontario’s country music industry across 16 categories. Meghan Patrick leads the pack with seven nominations while James Barker Band, River Town Saints, Jessica Mitchell, Cold Creek County, Jason Blaine, Tim Hicks and The Abrams are among the multiple nominees being honoured at the ceremony on Sunday, June 11th at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario. See the full nominees listing for the 2017 CMAOntario Awards below.

Voting for the awards is restricted to CMAOntario members, with the exception of the Fans’ Choice award, which is open to both public and membership voting. Eligible members will have the opportunity to vote on the final ballot as of today up until Wednesday, April 26th at 11:59PM EST. Music fans can cast their votes for the Fans’ Choice award during the same period at www.cmaontario.ca/awards/voting.

This year’s awards, hosted by Jason McCoy, will feature newly added performances by Genevieve Fisher, Jessica Mitchell, River Town Saints, and Aaron Pritchett alongside previously announced performers Jason Blaine, Cold Creek County and The Western Swing Authority.

The CMAOntario Impact Award, will be presented to one of Canada’s most iconic bands, Blue Rodeo. The CMAOntario Impact Award recognizes an artist, group, industry personality or company/organization that has left an enduring and indelibly positive footprint on the landscape of country music in Ontario. Previous recipients include Prairie Oyster, Paula Chopik and Ed Leslie (producers of Havelock Country Jamboree) and the legendary Gordon Lightfoot.

The 2017 CMAOntario award nominees are:

SINGLE OF THE YEAR sponsored by KICX 106

“Beer Weather” – Cold Creek County
“Cherry Bomb” – River Town Saints
“Lawn Chair Crazy ” – James Barker Band
“Still Loving You” – Meghan Patrick ft. Joe Nichols
“Workin’ On Whiskey” – Jessica Mitchell

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Born to Love – The Lovelocks
Country Side – Jason Blaine
Grace and Grit – Meghan Patrick
Shake These Walls – Tim Hicks
Till The Wheels Come Off – Cold Creek County

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR sponsored by SOCAN

Deric Ruttan, Craig Wiseman – “Came Here to Forget”
performed by Blake Shelton

James Barker, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood – “Lawn Chair Lazy”
performed by James Barker Band

Jessica Mitchell, Dave Thomson, Patricia Conroy – “Workin’ on Whiskey”
performed by Jessica Mitchell

Meghan Patrick, Patricia Conroy, Philip Barton – “Grace and Grit”
performed by Meghan Patrick

Tim Hicks, Todd Clark, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood – “Stompin’ Ground”
performed by Tim Hicks

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Spring Tree Farm

Genevieve Fisher
Jessica Mitchell
Leah Daniels
Meghan Patrick
Tianna Woods

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Havelock Country Jamboree

Deric Ruttan
Jason Blaine
Marshall Dane
Tebey
Tim Hicks

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR sponsored by Remington Group

Autumn Hill
Cold Creek County
James Barker Band
River Town Saints
The Abrams

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Kelly Prescott
Jessica Mitchell
Lindi Ortega
The Abrams
The Western Swing Authority

RISING STAR AWARD sponsored by Slaight Music

Buck Twenty
Dani Strong
Meghan Patrick
River Town Saints
The Abrams

FANS’ CHOICE sponsored by OMDC

Autumn Hill
Cold Creek County
James Barker Band
Jason Blaine
Meghan Patrick
River Town Saints
Tebey
Tim Hicks

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR sponsored by Long & McQuade

“Bow Chicka Wow Wow” – Meghan Patrick
“Cherry Bomb” – River Town Saints
“Dance With My Daughter” – Jason Blaine
“Lawn Chair Crazy” – James Barker Band
“What Love Is All About” – Johnny Reid

RECORD PRODUCER (S) OF THE YEAR

Dan Brodbeck (Dani Strong)
Dave Thomson (Jessica Mitchell)
Gavin Brown (The Abrams)
Jason Barry (Dean Brody, Genevieve Fisher, The Western Swing Authority, Tianna Woods)
The Agenda, Leah Daniels (Leah Daniels)

INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR sponsored by Seeds & Co.

Amanda Kingsland, Rogers Radio
Catherine Faint, Catherine Faint Entertainment
Dave Woods, In The Country
Mike Denney, MDM Recordings
Steve Coady, Warner Music Canada

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (LARGE MARKET)

CHKX-FM (KX 94.7), Hamilton
CJBX-FM (BX 93), London
CJKX-FM 95.9 (KX 96), Oshawa
CKBY-FM (Country 101.1), Ottawa
CKDK-FM 103.9 (Country 104), Woodstock
CKKL-FM (New Country 94), Ottawa

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (MEDIUM MARKET) sponsored by Lucknow’s Music in the Fields

CFCO-FM 92.9 (Country 92.9), Chatham
CHCQ-FM (Cool 100.1 FM), Belleville
CICS-FM (KICX 91.7), Sudbury
CJQM-FM (Country 104.3), Sault Ste Marie
CKXC-FM (Country 93.5), Kingston

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (SMALL MARKET)

CHAW-FM (Country 103), Little Current
CHVR-FM 96.7 (Star 96 FM), Pembroke
CICX-FM (KICX 106), Orillia
CJDL-FM (Country 107.3), Tillsonburg
CKYC-FM 93.7 (Country 93), Owen Sound

Tickets for the CMAOntario Awards are available for purchase through the Centennial Hall box office – online at www.centennialhall.london.ca, by calling 1.888.999.8980, or in person at the venue (550 Wellington St.). Pricing ranges from $59.95 (plus taxes and service fees) for regular reserved seating to $250.00 (plus taxes and service fees) for fan VIP packages. Details for corporate and group rates are available on the venue’s website.

CMAOntario thanks all of their sponsors: City of London, Havelock County Jamboree, KICX 106, Long & McQuade, Lucknow’s Music in the Fields, Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), Remington Group, Seeds & Co., Slaight Music, SOCAN, and Spring Tree Farm.

Contest

Want to win a pair of 2 day CMAO TuneUp conference delegate passes ($160 value)? Visit our Facebook page for details on how!

About CMAOntario:

CMAOntario was formed in 2007 by Rob MacArthur, founding patron Linda Wright, and a number of interested and enthusiastic individuals who thought it was time to have a voice for country music in Ontario. The Association brings together the talent and the industry professionals. Its mandate is to foster and support the growth and development of Ontario’s country music and its industry, provincially, nationally and internationally. CMAOntario has now hosted four annual Awards Shows with the assistance of presenting sponsor Slaight Music. These sold-out events featured performances from Ontario’s top talent, including: Jason McCoy, Deric Ruttan, Jason Blaine, Tim Hicks, Tebey, Autumn Hill, Small Town Pistols, Michelle Wright, Marshall Dane and many more. CMAOntario is also proud to have presented three highly successful two-day Road to Independence educational conferences, with the financial contribution of the OMDC and presenting sponsor Slaight Music.

About Slaight Music

Slaight Music was started in 2011 with a mandate to support the Canadian music community through a variety of initiatives, and to develop Canadian talent via strategic partnerships with industry peers. We work with artists from across the country and across the musical spectrum, helping to further careers and get great music heard. We’re also invested in the technology sphere, helping Canadian music entrepreneurs develop the next generation of digital platforms and services. And, we support a variety of music-related events, causes and charities.

About OMDC

The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport that facilitates economic development opportunities for Ontario’s cultural media industries including book and magazine publishing, film and television, music and interactive digital media industries.

La Société de développement de l’industrie des médias de l’Ontario (SODIMO) est un organisme du ministère du Tourisme, de la Culture et du Sport de l’Ontario qui facilite les possibilités de développement économique des industries des médias culturels de l’Ontario, dont l’industrie de l’édition de livres et de revues, du cinéma et de la télévision, de la musique et des produits multimédias interactifs numériques.