Nova Scotians among folk music nominees

By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter
Fri, Oct 8 - 4:53 AM

Amelia Curran is up for three Canadian Folk Music awards.

Nova Scotia singer-songwriters and Cape Breton fiddlers feature prominently among the nominees for the Canadian Folk Music Awards announced this week.

Halifax-based musicians Amelia Curran and Lennie Gallant are up for three categories each, while Chester's Old Man Luedecke picked up a pair of nominations.

Curran's Juno Award-winning album Hunter, Hunter is named in the contemporary album, solo artist and English songwriter of the year categories, while Gallant's If We Had a Fire earned him contemporary album and English songwriter of the year nominations. Gallant also has a French songwriter of the year award nomination for his CD Le coeur hante (The Haunted Heart).

Luedecke was also nominated for contemporary album and solo artist of the year for his latest release, My Hands Are on Fire and Other Love Songs.

Other Nova Scotia nominees include Rose Cousins' The Send Off for contemporary singer of the year, David Myles for solo artist of the year and roots musician Thom Swift and producer Charles Austin for producer of the year for Swift's Blue Sky Day CD.

Cape Breton's fiddle tradition was represented by Colin Grant in the instrumental solo artist of the year category, for his release Fun for the Whole Family, and Baddeck 18-year-old Rachel Davis in the young performer of the year category for her self-titled debut CD.

In 2009, Nova Scotia performers were honoured with a number of awards at the CFMAs in Ottawa, with Joel Plaskett receiving a pair of trophies, and Susan Crowe, folk-pop duo Madison Violet and ukulele maestro James Hill taking home one each.

The sixth annual Canadian Folk Music Awards Night Gala takes place at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre in Winnipeg on Saturday, Nov. 20.

For more on the awards and a complete list of nominees, go to bit.ly/cq7Sol.