April 2022 – Country Music Association of Ontario

April 19, 2022

2022 CMAOntario Festival Performers & Free Events Announced

CMAOntario Announces Performers and Free Events for the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend June 2-5, 2022 in London, Ontario April 19, 2022 (TORONTO) The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) is thrilled to announce programming for the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend taking place June 2-5, 2022 in London, Ontario, including an all-new Street Fair with a series of free concerts. “We are thrilled to welcome back the CMAOntario Festival & Awards to London UNESCO City of Music this June. 2022 brings an expanded format of programming with more exciting ways for the community to enjoy. The CMAOntario’s return is part of London’s commitment to supporting a robust music ecosystem, bringing employment opportunities, artist performances and public facing activations for Londoners to enjoy,” said Cory Crossman, Music […]

April 14, 2022

2022 CMAOntario Awards Performers Announced

Tebey, Tim Hicks, Genevieve Fisher, Sacha, Cory Marks and more Announced As Performers for 2022 CMAOntario Awards Sunday, June 5 at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario April 14, 2022 (TORONTO) The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) is thrilled to announce an incredible lineup of performers for the 10th Annual CMAOntario Awards, presented by Slaight Music, taking place on Sunday, June 5 at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario. Tickets are on sale now. Hosted by Jason McCoy and Robyn Ottolini, the CMAOntario Awards will include live, in person performances by: Tebey, nominated for four awards at the 2022 CMAOntario Awards; Tim Hicks, nominated for three awards; Genevieve Fisher, nominated for two awards; Sacha, nominated for two awards; Cory Marks, nominated for two awards; Jason Blaine, nominated for […]

April 12, 2022

Artiste du mois / Artist of the Month: Vincent Bishop

(English version follows) Avril étant le mois de sensibilisation à l’Autisme, il était impensable de ne pas parler de Vincent Bishop. Ce jeune auteur-compositeur-interprète trace son chemin dans l’industrie musicale loin des sentiers battus. Ses paroles sensibles et intelligentes, sa pédale « loop » qui ne chôme pas et son charisme qui sourit à travers chaque composition lui créent un style autant envoutant qu’accrocheur. Multi-instrumentiste, Vincent fait souvent appel à de rythmes entraînants et des mélodies légères pour transmettre des messages importants sur la différence et la discrimination dans ses chansons, ayant lui-même été diagnostiqué comme atteint du syndrome d’Asperger, un trouble du spectre autistique (TSA). Il est également très impliqué dans les écoles, où il offre des ateliers et des conférences pour sensibiliser les jeunes. Son […]

April 12, 2022

Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: Tim Taylor

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: Bowmanville, ON) (#62 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Tim Taylor is one of those guys who has done it all… and he’s still doing it!! Singer, songwriter, recording artist, touring act, award winner – Tim Taylor can answer to all of that. Born in Bowmanville, Ontario, Tim Taylor spent his high school years in a variety of rock bands, playing school dances and social events. He eventually “graduated” to perform professionally with the country band, Buckshot. By the late 1970s, he had teamed up with vocalist Anita Perras, both on-stage and eventually, as a married couple. They quickly honed their talents and recorded a debut album, “Bought And Paid For”. Several hit single releases followed – separately and as a […]

April 12, 2022

In The Country with Dave Woods: One On One With Brian John Harwood

Barrie’s Brian John Harwood believes the path to success in the music business is paved with hard work and songs that come from an honest place. You can get to know Brian by listening to his songs and watching his music videos “All That I Was Missing”, “Dad”, “Good Boy”, “First”, etc. He believes in sharing who he is and what he values through his writing. Brian has just released his new single “Savin’ Up For A Friday” featuring the legendary Jason McCoy. The song was written by Brian, Jason & Dustin Bird – Dustin produced the track. Along with his successful singles as a solo artist, Brian is also known for being 1/2 of the country duo Kansas Stone along with Matt Davey. We […]

April 12, 2022

In The News (April 2022)

This section of the newsletter is comprised of news stories, press releases and links to Internet articles that are sent in by our members who believe they will be of general interest to the membership. We include them as a courtesy to our members but do not verify or edit their content. Their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by the CMAOntario nor do their contents reflect the views or opinions of the CMAOntario. If you would like to have something included in the newsletter, please send us a short synopsis, a photo or graphic and the hotlink that can be included in the news listing. Submissions can be sent to verle@cmaontario.ca. Please make sure the Subject Line reads “For inclusion in the CMAOntario Newsletter”. […]

April 5, 2022

Graham Trude

This is the story of a singer-songwriter-soldier. A musician at heart, in 2007 Graham Trude signed up to be a solider and completed his military training before being sent to Afghanistan for a challenging tour of duty. Upon completing his service, Graham returned to Canada, joined the reserves and began therapeutic songwriting. In 2019, after successfully entertaining troops across the country, in partnership with “Wounded Warriors”, raising awareness for PTSD, Graham stepped back from touring. His own PTSD came back to haunt him in 2018 but with strong family support he was able to recover and get back on track. Using daily songwriting as his personal therapy, Graham is now a full time solo musician, and as he and his wife awaited the birth of […]

April 4, 2022

Jessica Lavallee

Jessica Lavallee Born on the northern reaches of Newfoundland and Labrador, Jessica Lavallee was raised in the remote village of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon on the lower north shore of Quebec, an area unique to the province due to its proximity to Newfoundland and Labrador, and Canada’s east coast. Jessica’s love and natural ear for music began when she was just two years old while listening to her father – also a musician – play the guitar, fiddle, accordion, and harmonica. Jessica made her debut at six years old with her father’s band, playing in a local festival in Labrador close to home. Influenced by many music styles like; classic country, Irish, Blues and Southern Rock she blends them with her unique, powerful voice and sings stories that […]