Canada's Prize
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74 CANADA'S PRIZE OUTGROWS ITS 1978 CONTENTIOUS PAST The creation of Canada's award system has been as contentious an issue for the Canadian record producing and talent management community as the status of Quebec has for federal politicians. The awards program's first beginnings can be traced back to May 18, 1964, when Canada's only existing trade magazine, RPM, ran a small house ad, indi- JUNO cating that the publication was interested in establishing an awards program to deserving members of the Canadian music industry, both in the artistic and business circles. Initially, there were seven categories set out: recording artist of the year, content LP of the year, radio personality, Canadian man of the year award (obviously before the days of equal rights for women), and Canadian radio AWARDS station of the year award, awarded to the radio station that had done the most to promote Canadian talent that year. As it By DAVID FARRELL turned out, all the cate- gories were scrapped when the show was finally pulled together and in their place were 16 separate categories. Each category was voted on by the subscribers to RPM and the awards presentation was first made on Dec. 31 of that year. The awards continued along these lines more or less, until 1968, RPM established the Gold Leaf Awards, the predecessor of the Canadian Record- ing Industry Assn.'s platinum and gold certification system. Under the Gold Leaf system, record manufacturers were allowed to purchase the award when they had reached the required sales figures for an album or single to qualify as a "million" seller in this country. The money derived from these sales of awards was then funnelled back into a fund to finance Dan Hill emerged a clear the annual awards program. winner at the 15th annual In 1969 it was decided that a contest should be held to re -name the Juno Awards program, pyramid -shaped Gold Leaf Award, a decision made by the magazine's edi- held in Toronto on March tor and publisher Walt Grealis. The name that caught everyone's fancy 29. The singer -song- was the Juno Award, a homonym for the former chairman of the Cana- writer, signed to GRT in dian Radio and Television Commission, Pierre Juneau, who was instru- Canada. was named com- mental in the instigation of the 30% Canadian content regulations for poser, male vocalist and Canadian AM radio stations. Canadian album seller of The program went on uninterrupted until 1974 when a falling out oc- the year for his highly curred between the trade magazine editor and Arnold Gosewich, then successful LP "Longer president of the Canadian Recording Industry Assn. (CRIA), and of Fuse." The hit single Capitol Records -EMI of Canada Ltd. The disagreement centered "Sometimes When We around taking the show onto television, Gosewich batting in favor and Touch" was co -com- Grealis sharply critical of the suggestion. CRIA went ahead, however, posed by Barry Mann. in announcing its intention to take the awards onto national tv and, at this point, the true beginnings of today's show came into being. It was o Canada's 15th annual Juno Awards show brought together the larg- the end of a chapter in the development of Canada's music industry. os est assemblage of record industry movers and shakers from across the The end of the "old testament" as it were, and the beginning of the 04 country ever to meet under one roof at the same time. A total of 1,500 "new." m were in attendance for the two -hour award ceremony in Toronto March Threats of boycotts by oldtimers and some artists who had been -I 29, staged at the Harbour Castle Convention Centre and televised live, nurtured by the trade magazine brought a cloudy sky over the whole op nationally by the CBC network. show for several years, but by 1977, the show was becoming a major o From the international marketplace, Rupert Perry from Capitol in event. For some, it was a major event to be criticized, and for others rn Los Angeles was in attendance, as was country superstar Charley a moment to wait for with much anticipation. Whatever the point of r Pride, and Shelley Siegel from Mushroom Records. Mick Fleetwood view, it was by now big. cc; was, apparently, all set to fly in for the show on the premise that The 1978 awards program found much of the pioneering prob- } Fleetwood Mac was going to win the international best selling album lems ironed out and virtually unanimous support from the artistic Juno for sales in Canada on the "Rumours" LP, but he had a community in Canada. One area that still remains a thorn in the change of mind at the last moment when he learned that the CBC side of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the was not televising this particular category. Similarly, Veronique organization now charged with putting together the awards pro- Sanson had made seating reservations for the dinner -show, but gram, is finding a compromise with the Quebec community, was delayed at the last minute in Paris. whereby Quebec's artists can be recognized without having to None the less, Burton Cummings flew in from Los Angeles, complicate the program itself by making it wholly bilingual. More commenting on stage that it was his first time back in the country than anything else, the resolution to this issue is to be found in this year "and it feels great to be here." Cohort Randy Bachman increased talks with Quebec's numerous producers and artists was tied up in a Vancouver studio with Trooper, but other major and with increased acceptance nationally of French language stars such as Gordon Lightfoot, Oscar Peterson and Dan Hill pro- recordings by acts such as Harmonium. Ultimately, the two in- vided the affair with a sense of purpose, dignity and cohesive- dustries will find their answer to this problem. ness. All in all then, Canada's Juno show has grown up to become a If the show was a triumph for the Canadian Academy of major international event, and one that each year takes an- Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), charged with helm ing other giant step toward becoming the springboard for new art- the annual affair, so it was an even bigger one for pop singers ists to jump from when acclaimed in the annual show. Dan Hill and Patsy Gallant. Both were singled out in multiple DAVID FARRELL categories: Hill as male vocalist of the year, as well as winner in the best selling album category for the platinum -plus "Longer Fuse" work. Montrealer Patsy Gallant won in the best selling single category for her disco- crossover hit "Sugar Daddy," as well as being voted female vocalist of the year for the second consecutive time. Hill, who records with GRT in Canada, utilized his prime (Continued on page 76) A surprise winner this year was A &M recording artist David Bradstreet who won his Juno for best new male vocalist Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson (left to right) from Rush accept- Now negotiating a ing the group of the year award and thanking their manage- record contract, Lisa Dal Vic ment team of Wilson, Ray Daniels and Tom Berry from Bello looks ecstatic as SRO Productions. she accepts her Juno as best new female vocal- ist, given her for her de- but album on MCA. The 19 year -old singer was Montreal songstress Patsy Gallant wins for best female vocalist for dropped by the label the second consecutive year; as well, her disco single "Sugar Daddy" shortly following the was winner in best selling single this year.. LP's release. www.americanradiohistory.com.