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Writer's pictureStevie Connor

Mississauga Hosts The Country Music Association of Ontario Festival & Awards In 2024


The Country Music Association of Ontario

The Country Music Association of Ontario (CMAOntario) is proud to announce the first wave of performers for the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend taking place May 31-June 2, 2024 in Mississauga. In addition to the 13th Annual CMAOntario Awards Show, CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend will include Songs & Stories: Songwriters in the Round, R2i TuneUp Conference, Street Fair, Bonfire, Tailgate Party, and Sauga Sunday.


On Saturday, June 1 the CMAOntario Festival & Awards Weekend will present Tailgate, and Bonfire – two free concerts at Celebration Square. Fans can celebrate the anticipation of the CMAOntario Awards with the afternoon Tailgate party featuring entertainment from nominees and fan favourites such as Andrew Hyatt,Jessie T, New Moon Junction, and Emily Clair. The CMAOntario Bonfire will give fans a chance to take in Ontario’s hottest new music and rising stars with evening concert performances by Jason Blaine, Les Bilinguish Boys, Karli June, Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, Lemon Cash, and Abby Stewart.


On Sunday, June 2 at Celebration Square, the City of Mississauga’s music office will present Sauga Sunday. This free, family-friendly afternoon concert will show why Mississauga was named Canadian “Music City of the Year” with an all-women lineup of the city’s top country talent featuring Elyse Saunders, Nicole Rayy, Bree Taylor, Alessia Cohle, Kendra Gabrielle and Jade Hilton.


The 13th Annual CMAOntario Awards Show, hosted by Jason McCoy and Teigen Gayse, will include exciting performances by: Karli June, who is nominated for four CMAOntario Awards this year; Owen Riegling, Jason Blaine, and Nicole Rayy, who are each nominated for three CMAOntario Awards; Griffen Palmer, up for two CMAOntario Awards; Elyse Saunders, nominated for Female Artist of the Year; River Town Saints, nominated for Group or Duo of the Year; Sugar Crush, first time nominees for Francophone Artist or Group of the Year; Callie McCullough, nominated for Roots Artist or Group of the Year; and Ryan Langdon, who is celebrating 200,000 streams and counting on his latest single “Soul & My Sanity” and multiple nominee, The Western Swing Authority. The CMAOntario Awards, presented by Slaight Music, will take place on Sunday, June 2 in Hammerson Hall at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. Tickets for the CMAOntario Awards Show are on sale now.



2024 NOMINEES

SINGLE OF THE YEAR sponsored by Pure Country

Honky Tonkin’ About, The Reklaws

Match For My Memory, Robyn Ottolini

Old Dirt Roads, Owen Riegling

Rodeo Queen, Jade Eagleson

The Road That Raised You Up, Jason Blaine

Trouble, Josh Ross


ALBUM/EP OF THE YEAR sponsored by Country 106.7 Kitchener

Ahead of Our Time, James Barker Band

Burning Back, Jessie T

Do It Anyway, Jade Eagleson

Greatest Show on Dirt, Meghan Patrick

Now & Then, Nicole Rayy

Unlearn, Griffen Palmer


SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR sponsored by SOCAN

Craig Brooks, Nicole Rayy, Now & Then, recorded by Nicole Rayy

Genevieve Fisher, Aaron Goodvin, Jennifer Schott, Best Thing About the Rain, recorded by Genevieve Fisher

Jade Eagleson, Daryl Scott, Rodeo Queen, recorded by Jade Eagleson

Jason Blaine, The Road the Raised You Up, recorded by Jason Blaine

Karli June, Gavin Slate, Feel Like Home, recorded by Karli June

Meghan Patrick, Matt Alderman, Tom Salter, Red Roses and Red Flags, recorded by Meghan Patrick


FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by IBEW Local 353

Elyse Saunders, Famous

Jessie T, Just A Number

Karli June, Feels Like Home

Meghan Patrick, Greatest Show on Dirt

Robyn Ottolini, Match to My Memory

Sacha, Confident


MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by IBEW Local 353

Andrew Hyatt, L is For

Jade Eagleson, Rodeo Queen

Jason Blaine, The Road that Raised You Up

Josh Ross, Trouble

Owen Riegling, Old Dirt Road

Tim Hicks, Yee to the Haw


GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR sponsored by Country 103

James Barker Band, Meet Your Mama

New Moon Junction, Mind of Its Own

River Town Saints, She Got That

Rosewood Ave, I Won’t

The Reklaws, Honky Tonkin’ About

The Western Swing Authority, Happy Chickens


ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Callie McCullough, What If I Don’t

Emily Clair, Stealin’ Hearts

Julian Taylor, Georgia Moon

Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, Barbie Doll

The Abrams, Something New

The Western Swing Authority, Happy Chickens


BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR sponsored by Slaight Music

Alexa Goldie, Set in Stone

Dayna Reid, The Way You Lie

Jessie T, Just A Number

Karli June, Feels Like Home ft. Ryan Langdon

Lemon Cash, Breakup Song

Owen Riegling, Old Dirt Roads


FRANCOPHONE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Dayv Poulin, Tout est relatif

Kristine St-Pierre, Et si

Les Rats d’Swompe, Dans l’cabanon

Reney Ray, La p’tite tomboy

Sugar Crush, Pause

Vincent Bishop, L’amour serait bienvenu


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR sponsored by Jim Dunlop Productions

Dirty, Nicole Rayy

Feel Like Home, Karli June Feat Ryan Langdon

Happy Chickens, Western Swing authority

Honky Tonkin’ About, The Reklaws feat. Drake Milligan

Long Way Back, The Redhill Valleys

Trouble, Josh Ross


FANS’ CHOICE sponsored by Visit Mississauga

Griffen Palmer

Jade Eagleson

James Barker Band

Josh Ross

Meghan Patrick

Steven Lee Olsen

The Reklaws

Tim Hicks


RECORD PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR

Adam Newcomb (Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, Runaway Angel)

Gavin Slate (Karli June feat. Ryan Langdon)

Jeff Dalziel (New Moon Junction, Abby Stewart)

Matt Koebel (Amanda Kind, Paige Rutledge, Angelica Appelman, Jessica Sevier)

Shawn Moore (Spencer Burns, Jessica Sole, Emily Clair, Matt Teed)

The Agenda (Patrick James Clark, David Madras, Peter Peres, Graham Scott Fleming)


RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (LARGE MARKET) sponsored by Fielding Estate Winery

Country 104, London

Country 106.7, Kitchener

KX 94.7, Hamilton

KX96, Oshawa

Pure Country 93, London

Pure Country 94, Ottawa


RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (MEDIUM MARKET) sponsored by Lucknow’s Music in the Fields

Cool 100.1, Belleville

Country 92.9, Chatham

Country 93.5, Kingston

Hot Country 93.9, Brantford

Pure Country 105, Peterborough

Pure Country 99, Kingston


RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (SMALL MARKET)

Country 103 – Great Lakes Country

Country 107.3, Tillsonburg

Country 89, Welland

Country 93, Owen Sound

Pure Country 106, Orillia

The Ranch, 100.1, Listowel


INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR sponsored by Manrkē

Aj Astle, Roadhouse Productions

Ali Raney, Starseed Entertainment

Dave Woods, In the Country

Madelaine Napoleone, Warner Music Canada

Samantha Pickard, Strut Entertainment

Wendy Boomer, Country 92.3


MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR sponsored by Cithara Guitars

Adrian Juras (Karli June, Ryan Langdon)

Jeff Downtown Brown (Jason Blaine, Washboard Union, Kelsi Mayne, Shantaia)

Joey DePaiva (Elyse Saunders, Mackenzie Leigh Meyer, Aaron Allen)

Mackenzie Leigh Meyer (Robyn Ottolini)

Shane Guse (The Western Swing Authority, Session, Dean Brody)

Will Hebbes (Jess Moskaluke/The Agenda)



The CMAOntario Awards Show will also include the Impact Award, which recognizes an artist, group, industry personality or organization that has left an enduring and indelibly positive footprint on the landscape of country music in Ontario. The 2024 Impact Award will be presented to Charlie Major.


Rising to the forefront of the Canadian Music scene in the early to mid-nineties, Charlie had a heyday at radio when he became the first Canadian artist in history to score six BDS #1 hits off of his debut album. Nine more chart topping hits would follow, and Charlie would crisscross the world headlining tours and connecting with his fans at fairs and festivals.

But as the old saying goes “fame comes with a cost” and it wasn’t long before a major US label signed Charlie, moved him and his family to Nashville. The head of the label told Charlie his sound needed to change and become “more country.” The marketing department thought his records might sell better in the US if he appeared on the album cover in a Stetson, and added more fiddles and steel guitars to his edgy songs. What the label did not know was that even though Major might sell out concerts, he was not the type of guy who ‘sells out’ his career. Charlie’s integrity to remain true to his fans, himself and his music was immovable and so he relinquished the dream of the big US record deal and returned to his homeland where he continues to be embraced.


Over a decade later Charlie is as successful as ever, he headlines his own tours and pairs up with the likes of ZZ Top to rock arenas full of fans from coast to coast. He has sold nearly half a million records in Canada alone and won three Juno Awards and seven CCMA’s, but you wouldn’t know it to meet him, and he would not tell you. He wears the cloak of humility, just like the hardworking folks that he represents in his music. Truly a Canadian legend and one of the accomplished ‘nice guys’ in the game, Charlie would not have it any other way.






FOLLOW THE COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS ONTARIO



The Country Music Association of Ontario

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