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HALL
OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED
THREE
PIVOTAL INDUSTRY ACHIEVERS CELEBRATED IN 2005
(July
19, 2005) - The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA)
today named the latest industry members who will be added
to the long list of individuals inducted to the Canadian Country
Music Hall of Fame. This year's honourees are in the Artist,
Builder and Broadcaster categories, and will be inducted during
Country Music Week in Calgary, September 9 - 12. Additional
biographical information and visuals for each inductee are
available through the contact information that follows at
the end of this release.
2005
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees
Induction
into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame recognizes long-term
contribution to the growth and development of Canadian country
music. The recipient may be living or deceased, an Artist,
Broadcaster, or Builder, but must be recognized for his/her
achievements as a Canadian in the industry.
Gary
Fjellgaard, Artist
For more
than thirty years Gary Fjellgaard has been making a living
on the road with a guitar and a song. He delights audiences
throughout North America and Europe with masterful acoustic
guitar, vocals, riveting yodeling, and tales of his life in
the woods. Gary has always been known to deliver his music
and performance with a passion and a rare sincerity that has
delivered the career longevity many aspire to, but rarely
achieve.
Raised on the Canadian Prairies, this award winning singer/songwriter
is a champion of vanishing values and the frontier spirit.
Cattle drives, wagon treks, windswept prairies, rushing rivers
and working folks with ties to the land, have all been a source
of inspiration for his songs. His western roots music has
survived categorization, and a move to Canada's West Coast
has brought a universal quality to his songwriting. He looks
back on a rewarding career and many awards, and gratefully
acknowledges the hundreds of towns and cities, and listeners
who have been touched by his music.
R. Harlan Smith, Builder
R. Harlan
Smith has been on the Canadian country music scene as singer,
songwriter, producer, publisher, and record label executive
for over 35 years. In 1974 with his business associate, he
founded what is today one of country's most active record
label/distributors, Royalty Records. For over three decades
he has remained a pivotal member of the country music industry.
Born in
Saskatchewan, R. Harlan Smith moved to Alberta where his career
as a singer/songwriter and producer began. He has written
over 200 songs, produced over 50 albums and 200 singles and
received hundreds of awards for his talents including multiple
CCMA Awards. His steadfast belief in Canadian country music
led him to create the Canadian Country Music All-Star Show
which traveled throughout Canada and much of Europe with artists
such as Laura Vinson, Gary Fjellgaard, Chris Nielsen and others
being showcased to international audiences.
Harlan
has donated his time to organizations such as the CCMA and
is a founding member, holding multiple roles over the years,
of the Alberta Recording Industries Association, Global Country
Canada, and the Alberta Cultural Industries Association. He
has been recognized for his accomplishments and contributions
to the country music industry many times throughout his career
and most recently he was named an "Industry Builder"
by the Western Canadian Music Alliance.
Paul
Kennedy, Broadcaster
Paul Kennedy
was born in Saint John, New Brunswick and started his career
in radio at CJLS Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1968. For the next
26 years he dedicated himself to country radio, with 20 years
spent at CHFX-FM Halifax, both on air and as Music Director.
Throughout his career he has pursued as many opportunities
as possible to speak with, and then air or publish, news and
interviews from Canadian country artists. He recorded his
first interview in 1968 with the legendary Anne Murray. Today
he has also interviewed most of country's international stars
such as Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Toby Keith and continues
to tirelessly promote rising Canadian country talent.
Paul Kennedy formed his own company in the mid-nineties, "Kennedy
Artist Promotions" to further his work covering Canadian
artist achievements, including radio reporting for national
programming such as "Today's Country" and CBC. He
has been a sought-after feature writer about music and specifically
country music for publications such as the Halifax Daily News,
Country Wave and has written a monthly column for Country
Music News since 1981 titled "East Coast Country".
Country Music News Editor Larry Delaney says "...as a
news reporter Paul Kennedy is a tell-it-like-it-is kind of
guy, with a no holds-barred approach to his reporting. His
factual and lively commentary has always sparked keen interest.
What makes Paul Kennedy so effective is his fairness, treating
all artists with equal importance…country music fans
and artists alike have long been the benefactors of Paul Kennedy's
dedication to his craft."
Paul has won the CCMA Music Director of the Year Award five
times and On Air three times, and is proud to have reported
from Country Music Week every year since 1984.
The 2005 Canadian Country Music Awards,
will be broadcast on Monday, September 12 on CBC at 8 p.m./
9 p.m. AT/ 9:30 p.m. NT from Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 403-777-0000
or www.ticketmaster.ca.
For more information visit www.ccma.org
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For
information on this release please contact:
Aimée Hill, Publicist
2005 CCMA Awards & Country Music Week
780-497-4548
hilla@macewan.ca
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