JUNOs give out first awards and July Talk grabs 2

In true Canadian form Juno weekend kicked off with a snowstorm on Friday night. Thankfully if you didn’t like that, warmer kinder weather was in store for Saturday and the Juno Gala dinner at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre.

Canadian musicians of all genres descended upon downtown Ottawa Saturday afternoon for the JUNO Awards Gala at the Shaw Centre.

A total of 34 JUNOs were given out at this evening’s event out of which our friends July Talk won 2, Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip each won for their respective albums, Strumbellas took home single of the year for “Spirits”, The Dirty Nil won Breakthrough Group of the Year, The Weeknd took home R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for Starboy and Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan took home the award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year.

Full list of winners is as follows:

Single of the Year: Spirits – The Strumbellas

Internatiomal Album: A Head Full of Dreams – Cold Play

Artist of the Year: Leonard Cohen

Breakthrough Group: The Dirty Nil

Adult Alternative Album: Secret Path – Gord Downie

Alternative Album:  Touch – July Talk

Rock Album: Man Machine Poem – The Tragically Hip

Vocal Jazz Album: Bria – Bria Skonberg

Jazz Album – SOLO: Written on the Rocks – Renee Rosnes

Jazz Album – GROUP:  Twenty Metalwood

Instrumental Album: Bird’s Nest – The Fretless

Francophone Album of the Year: XO – Laurence Nerbonne

Children’s Album: I Believe in Little Things – Diana Panton

Classical Album of the Year – SOLO or CHAMBER: Brahms: String Quartets, Op. 51 NOS. 1 & 2 – New Orford String Quartet

Classical Album – LARGE ENSEMBLE: Going Home Star – Steve Wood and Northern Cree Singers, Tanya Tagaq, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Classical Album – Vocal or Choral: L’Aiglon – Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal, Kent Nagano

Classical Composition: Immersion – Jordan Nobles

RAP Recording: Hotel Paranoia – Jazz Cartier

Dance Recording: Off The Ground ft. Shae Jacobs – Bit Funk

R&B/Soul Recording: Starboy – The Weeknd

Reggae Recording: Siren – Exco Levi

Indigenous Music Album: Tiny Hands – Quantum Tangle

Contemporary Roots Album: Earthly Days – William Prince

Traditional Roots Album: Secret Victory -The East Pointers

Blues Album: Ride The One – Paul Reddick

Contemporary Christian/ Gospel Album: Hootenanny! – Tim Neufeld & the Glory Boys

World Music: Okavango African Orchestra – Okavango African Orchestra

Jack Richardson Producer: A Tribe Called Red – A Tribe Called Red

Recording Engineer: Jason Dufour – Push and Pull, Beck + Call, TOUCH – July Talk

Recording Package: Jonathan Shedletzky (Art Director), Isis Essery (Designer), Jeff Lamaire (Illustrator) – Secret Path – Gord Downie

Video: Kill v Maim – Claire Boucher GRIMES

Electronic Album: 99.9% – Kaytranada

Metal / Hard Music Album: Coral Throne – Mandroid Echostar

Adult Contemporary Album: Wonderland – Sarah McLachlan

Walt Grealis Special Achievement: Randy Lenox – President Bell Media (former CEO Universal Music Canada)

International Achievement Award: Drake

Allan Waters Humanitarian Award: Buffy Ste Marie

Stay tuned the Juno Awards Broadcast goes tomorrow night and we’ll be there, once again, with full coverage.

For nominee information please visit www.junoawards.ca