Newsletter

The CMAO is pleased to announce that a selection has been made from the Ontario based artists who submitted applications for the possibility to perform at FanFest in Saskatoon this September. The submissions went to a non-biased jury who made the final decision. The artist chosen to represent Ontario in the final national vote is Marshall Dane. The selection was unanimous. We’d like to thank the FanFest committee who worked so diligently under time restrictions to make this opportunity possible for one or our provincial artists. We know Marshall will do us all proud. And be advised, one of our board members who is instrumental in Marshall’s career (Record Producer, Brian Allen) was not involved with either the selection or the judging panel of the […]

Naomi Bristow, Canada’s Yodelin’ Cowgirl, performed with ‘Yvan Nadeau and the Bandidos’ on Aug. 10 at Comfort Suites and Conference Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. The Northern Ontario Country Music Association presented the concert and donated the show proceeds to ARCH. ARCH stands for Algoma Residential Community Hospice. They’ll get a financial boost from the country concert. The 10-bed hospice, on Fourth Line near Brule Road, opened in 2008. Dave Patterson, president of the Northern Ontario Country Music Association said, “Over the years, keeping the NOCMA and its projects like the Great Northern Opry and the Northern Ontario Country Music Hall of Fame, was a huge job. We had lot of tough years. NOCMA didn’t have the cash to donate to charities in the last […]

NO one will know until we have the nomination process completed and people have cast their votes.  However, I am pleased to announce the eligibility criteria for the inaugural CMA Ontario awards are as follows: The overall eligibility criteria for an artist/group or company for ALL categories is: 1.      The artist must be a member in good standing with the CMA Ontario.  For a group or duo at least 50% of the members must meet the Ontario residency requirement. 2.      Must be a business that is operating in the province of Ontario. 3.      To be considered an Ontario resident by the CMA Ontario, the artist must have been born in the province of Ontario; OR maintained a permanent resident in the province of Ontario for […]

Yes, another year is almost completed and I am pleased to announce that we have set the date for the AGM which is to be held on Thursday, September 13th, 2012 at 42 Lingarde Drive in Scarborough, Ontario.  Yes as members you need to come out and vote or assign your proxy.  The CMA Ontario will be seeing some changes to the Board this year and there is room for new people to get involved as Directors. I wish to take this opportunity to thank Jeff Sheppard and Sandy Graham for the work they did on the Board this past year.  They are not standing for election this year.  As well, I will not be either.  However, there is an exciting number of new people […]

What do the Kinks, David Bowie, T. Rex, Gypsies, Jack the Ripper and Scrabble all have in common? In two words,… Anya Wilson. Born on the northeast coast if England in Grimsby (a town populated by sailors and gypsies), Anya grew up at a time when music was really influencing England. The Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks were all the rage and one young girl had had enough of parochial school, secondary school and private school. She dreamt of being a dancer on ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ or ‘Top of the Pops’, but instead she worked in Grimsby for a timber importer, a secretary at an aerosol company and a sniffer for a fragrance manufacturer. To make ends meet, she also worked 3 nights a week […]

Gord Bamford is not only a chart topping country singer and songwriter. Him and his team are also nominated for 16 CCMA Awards this fall. Impressive….? Yes. But this country boy gives as good as he gets. On July 31 and August 1 he hosted his 5th Annual Golf Classic in Lacombe Alberta. The event raised over $270,000 for the Bamford Foundation. That brings the grand total from 5 years to over $1,000,000! The foundation distributes the monies to various children’s charities including, the Make a Wish Foundation, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and other children based charities There were 16 country artists performing on the show including many of our members. Beverly Mahood, Jason Blaine, Kira Isabella, Jake Matthews and Wendell Ferguson performed and hosted. […]

Attend the Country Music Association of Ontario’s upcoming Seminar and Demorama. Learn how to record, fund and promote your music project. Have your songs/recordings listened to by leaders of the industry. Saturday September 15th 10:00AM at Trebas Institute, 2340 Dundas Street West in Toronto. http://www.trebas.com/ If you sing, play music or write songs, do not miss this great opportunity to talk to industry experts. There’s limited seating so get your tickets today. Only $15 each, available online at cmaontario.ca

ArtsCan Circle is a charity that sends artists and musicians to work with at-risk indigenous youth in Canada’s North. ArtsCan’s programs depend on funding for art supplies and instruments, as well as transportation to the remote communities they visit.  Friends and supporters make this happen by direct donations and by organizing fund-raising concerts and activities. This summer and fall, they are organizing raffle and hope to count on your help. And you could win some great prizes. The raffle prizes include: • $1000 Gift Certificate for the 12th Fret Music Store in Toronto • A Paul Reed Smith Electric Guitar – value $700 • A Gibson Dobro – Hound Dog Model – value $500 • A solid mahogany soprano ukulele – value $300 • A […]

We at CMA Ontario are starting a new program featuring CMA Ontario members on our  website. If you’re a member in good standing, please send us a picture and brief Bio at: info@cmaontario.ca