A LITTLE MUSIC THERAPY AND A LOT OF LOVE
Graham Rockingham reports on the day’s events at Country Music Week
Canadian country music star Gord Bamford says hello to two-year-old Caroline Fletcher at McMaster Children’s Hospital on Thursday. Caroline and her mom, Kirsty, were there when Bamford made a $10,000 donation to the hospital’s Music Therapy Program on behalf of his charity, the Gord Bamford Foundation. The foundation has raised more than $3.6 million for youth programs across the country, including $30,000 for music therapy.
A special tribute to 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Terri Clark has been added to the Canadian Country Music Awards, which take place Sunday at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre.
The announcement was made Thursday by Canadian Country Music Association president Tracy Martin during a news conference at the Tourism Hamilton Visitor Centre to officially launch Country Music Week.
“We are looking forward to celebrating the 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Terri Clark at this year’s show,” Martin said. “So today, I’m thrilled to announce that Suzy Bogguss, Jessica Mitchell and Meghan Patrick will all be taking the stage, joined by Terri herself, on Sunday night to celebrate her induction. It’s going to be an extremely special night.”
Clark, a 19-time CCMA Award and three-time Juno Award winner from Medicine Hat, Alta., has sold more than five million albums since her debut in 1995. She later became the first female Canadian member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Bogguss is an American country star who toured North America with Clark and Pam Tillis last year. Patrick is a singer-songwriter from Bowmanville, Ont., up for four CCMA Awards this year while Mitchell is a Torontobased singer nominated for CCMA roots album of the year.
The nationally televised awards show, being held in Hamilton for the sixth time, will be hosted by Shania Twain and features performances by Keith Urban, Serena Ryder, the James Barker Band, Paul Brandt, and Dallas Smith. Award presenters Grammy-winning pop star Alessia Cara, B.C. Canadian tennis star Vasek Pospisil, as well as Simioni Lawrence and Luke Tasker of the Hamilton TigerCats.
The show caps five days of live entertainment and parties in various venues throughout downtown Hamilton this week.
The awards show has brought hundreds of CCMA delegates, musicians and industry representatives to Hamilton from across Canada, as well as thousands of country music fans. The Sunday night show alone is expected to draw up to 12,000 people.