The results are in for the SEVENTH ANNUAL CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDS (CFMAs) held this year at Toronto’s Isabel Bader Theatre on Sunday, December 4th. 

Both seasoned artist Bruce Cockburn and Nova Scotia’s emerging talent Dave Gunning were up for four awards each for their latest offerings Small Source of Comfort and A tribute to John Allan Cameron respectively. Both took home two awards last night  – Cockburn honoured for Contemporary Album Of The Year and Solo Artist Of The Year and Gunning grabbed Traditional Singer Of The Year and New/Emerging Artist Of The Year. Original and traditional world music power trio Genticorum took the Traditional Album Of The Year and Ensemble Of The Year, awards for their energetic album Nagez Rameurs.
 
Toronto’s Good Lovelies received Vocal Group Of The Year  for their heavenly harmonies on Let The Rain Fall while Producer Of The Year went to Mark Howard and David Travers-Smith for Bright Morning Stars from Western Canada’s harmony sweethearts, The Wailin’ Jennys.
 
With a roster of excellent fiddlers, banjo players and guitarists in the running for Instrumental Solo Artist Of The Year, it was a close race, but the award went to Jayme Stone for his innovative, folk dance-inspired album Room of Wonders. Old-timey, bluegrass band The Creaking Tree String Quartet ‘s album Sundogs got them the

Instrumental Group Of The Year award and Molly Thomason’s Beauty Queen helped her clinch the Young Performer Of The Year award.
 
Honoured with the Aboriginal Songwriter Of The Year is Eagle & Hawk band founder and member Vince Fontaine for Songs For Turtle Island. French Songwriter Of The Year went to the traditional québécois folksinger Alexandre Poulin for Une lumière allumée and English Songwriter Of The Year went to Lynn Miles for her stunning new album Fall for Beauty
 
Musical genius Geoff Berner ‘s openness to experimentation, spirited Eastern European klezmer influences and punk rock attitude made for a shoo-in for his Victory Party album to take the Pushing The Boundaries award while francophone fave Benoît Archambault’s CD Les pourquoi was named Children’s Album Of The Year.
 
World music powerhouse vocalist and JUNO award recipient Kiran Ahluwalia secured World Solo Artist Of The Year for her incredible work on aam zameen : common ground and Turkish-influenced group Minor Empire received

World Group Artist Of The Year for their unique blend of traditional Turkish music with psychedelic rock, electronica and jazz on Second Nature.
 
This year’s CFMAs saw Toronto publicist Jane Harbury accept the inaugural UNSUNG HERO AWARD.  She is the first recipient of this prestigious annual award, for her exceptional contribution in promoting, preserving and presenting Canadian folk, roots and world music. Her involvement with the music industry began in the late 1960s and some of her clients over the years include Lhasa, Ian Tyson, Penny Lang, Tom Rush, the Chieftains, Ken Whiteley and David Francey. In addition to her work with established artists, she is committed to assisting emerging artists in the development of their careers and is a teacher of publicity at the Harris Institute.
 
The gala awards ceremonies went off without a hitch, hosted by the effervescent CBC Radio on-air personality Shelagh Rogers and Juno Award-honouree and veteran entertainer Benoit Bourque. Performing at the gala was a wide-ranging set of some of Canada’s top folk acts, including Celtic star LOREENA MCKENNITT, bluesman JIM BYRNES, 2010 CFMAs recipient ROSE COUSINS, a capella group SOUL INFLUENCE and 2011 nominees DE TEMPS ANTAN.
 
2011 CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES
 
TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR /
ALBUM TRADITIONNEL DE L’ANNÉE
Genticorum – Nagez Rameurs

CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR /
ALBUM CONTEMPORAIN DE L’ANNÉE
Bruce Cockburn – Small Source of Comfort

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR /
ALBUM JEUNESSE DE L’ANNÉE
Benoît Archambault – Les pourquoi

TRADITIONAL SINGER OF THE YEAR /
CHANTEUR TRADITIONNEL DE L’ANNÉE
Dave Gunning – a tribute to John Allan Cameron

CONTEMPORARY SINGER OF THE YEAR /
CHANTEUR CONTEMPORAIN DE L’ANNÉE
Suzie Vinnick – Me ‘n’ Mabel

INSTRUMENTAL SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR /
ALBUM INSTRUMENTAL DE L’ANNÉE – SOLO
Jayme Stone – Room of Wonders
 
INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR /
ALBUM INSTRUMENTAL DE L’ANNÉE – GROUPE
The Creaking Tree String Quartet – Sundogs
 
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR /
GROUPE VOCAL DE L’ANNÉE
Good Lovelies – Let The Rain Fall

ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR /
GROUPE DE L’ANNÉE
Genticorum – Nagez Rameurs

SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR /
ARTISTE SOLO DE L’ANNÉE
Bruce Cockburn – Small Source of Comfort

ENGLISH SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR /
AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR ANGLOPHONE DE L’ANNÉE
Lynn Miles – Fall for Beauty

FRENCH SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR /
AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR FRANCOPHONE DE L’ANNÉE
Alexandre Poulin – Une lumière allumée

ABORIGINAL SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR /
AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR AUTOCHTONE DE L’ANNÉE
Vince Fontaine – Songs For Turtle Island

WORLD ARTIST OF THE YEAR – SOLO /
ARTISTE DE MUSIQUES DU MONDE DE L’ANNÉE – SOLO
Kiran Ahluwalia – aam zameen : common ground

WORLD ARTIST OF THE YEAR – GROUP /
ARTISTE DE MUSIQUES DU MONDE DE L’ANNÉE – GROUPE
Minor Empire – Second Nature

NEW/EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR /
ARTISTE DE LA RELÈVE DE L’ANNÉE
Dave Gunning – a tribute to John Allan Cameron

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR /
RÉALISATEUR DE L’ANNÉE
Mark Howard, David Travers-Smith – Bright Morning Stars (The Wailin’ Jennys)

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES /
PRIX INNOVATION MUSICALE
Geoff Berner – Victory Party

YOUNG PERFORMER OF THE YEAR /
JEUNE ARTISTE DE L’ANNÉE
Molly Thomason – Beauty Queen