The 2018 CCMA Awards stage is heating up! Today the Canadian Country Music Association® (CCMA) announced its fourth round of performers for the 2018 CCMA Awards show, which will be broadcast and streamed live from Hamilton on Sunday, September 9 on CBC and cbcmusic.ca/ccmas at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT). Award-winning James Barker Band, three time CCMA Award nominee Jessica Mitchell and six-time JUNO Award winner Serena Ryder will step out onto the stage at FirstOntario Centre on September 9. These talented artists will join previously announced performers Keith Urban, Lindsay Ell, High Valley, Dallas Smith, Terri Clark, Tim Hicks and Meghan Patrick.
Earning their first JUNO Award earlier this year for Country Album of the Year, James Barker Band will be making their second CCMA Awards appearance this September. Since forming in 2013, the band has won the 2015 Emerging Artist Showcase at the Boots and Hearts music festival, gained more than 35 million streams on Spotify and has earned the most streamed and spun song released by a Canadian country artist in 2018 with their current single “Good Together”. Boasting five Top 10 singles and four gold records, there’s no question that James Barker Band is just getting started.
BOOTS AND HEARTS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2018 PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIM CYR-GOODYEAR
Jessica Mitchell, lauded as “country’s Adele,” wowed Country Music Week delegates in 2017 with her CCMA Gala Awards performance. 2018 will see her bring that magic to the CCMA Awards stage at FirstOntario Centre. Since its release in May of this year, her debut album, Heart of Glass, has earned more than 3 million streams and much critical acclaim. Mitchell has toured with country greats Johnny Reid, Terri Clark and Kiefer Sutherland. Heading out on a national with Glass Tiger this fall, Mitchell is sure to quickly become a fan favourite following her upcoming CCMA Awards debut.
Another first at the CCMA Awards will be a performance by 6-time JUNO Award winner Serena Ryder. With her anthemic single “Stompa” achieving 4x certified Platinum status in Canada and hitting No.1 at AAA radio in the U.S. for eight consecutive weeks, Ryder has become one of Canada’s musical darlings. Her latest album, Utopia, debuted at #1 and earned Ryder another three SOCAN No. 1 Song Awards as well as an additional Gold single with “Got Your Number.” Recognized as the first Canadian artist to reach No. 1 status on CBC’s Radio 2 Top 20 chart, her personal and skilled songwriting has earned Ryder career-changing features in television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, VEEP, and Suits. There is no doubt this multi-genre songstress will deliver an outstanding performance as she steps out on the CCMA Awards stage alongside 2018 CCMA Award nominee Brett Kissel.
Celebrating his first Apple Music Fans’ Choice Award nomination in 2018, multi-Platinum country artist Tim Hicks is no stranger to Canadian country music fans. With two Platinum and 6 Gold selling singles, a Gold album and twelve Top 10 radio hits, the Niagara-born award-winning performer has quickly become one of Canada’s most celebrated male voices. The #1 Most Added track on Canadian radio across all formats in its first week, Hick’s newest single “Loud” off of his fourth studio album New Tattoo has become a summer anthem that fans can only hope will make its way to the CCMA Awards stage.
This fall Brett Kissel will be returning to the CCMA Awards stage for another outstanding performance. Taking home the coveted Fans’ Choice Award in 2016 and Male Artist of the Year for the last two consecutive years, Kissel has scored another six nominations this year, tied for the most of any artist. With his current single “Guitars and Gasoline” climbing the charts at stations across Canada, Kissel was awarded the CIMA Road Gold Award earlier this year and will be heading out across Canada later this fall for Part 2 of the We Were That Song Tour.
Returning to the stage after an unforgettable performance in Saskatoon with much to celebrate is reigning SiriusXM Rising Star and Female Artist of the Year, Meghan Patrick. Earning five 2018 CCMA Award nominations, Meghan recently made history by becoming the first solo female artist to take home the Fans’ Choice Award at the Country Music of Ontario Awards. With her debut album Grace and Grit generating four Top 20 singles and a Top 10 hit with “Still Loving You”, Meghan Patrick released her sophomore album (Country Music Made Me Do It) earlier this year.
19-time CCMA Award winner Terri Clark is no stranger to the CCMA Awards show stage. This year Clark will not only be performing, she’ll also arrive in Hamilton to celebrate her 2018 induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Selling more than 5 million albums worldwide, Clark holds the title for most wins of the coveted CCMA Fans’ Choice Award (8-time winner) and is currently touring across Canada. Her most recent single “One Drink Ago,” a duet with Dallas Smith, is currently Top 5 at Canadian country radio.
Multiple JUNO and CCMA Award winner Dallas Smith will hit the stage for the second consecutive year at the 2018 CCMA Awards. Recently scoring his fifth No. 1 and fourth consecutive chart topper with “Sleepin’ Around,” Smith is the first and only Canadian country artist to have four consecutive No. 1 singles from the same album. A Platinum and GOLD selling artist, Smith is also the only Canadian artist to have 18 consecutive singles peak in the Top 10 of the Country airplay chart in the Nielsen BDS era (22 years). With his current single “One Drink Ago” currently sitting in the Top 5, it is anticipated that Smith will be releasing new music in advance of his Awards show performance.
11-year old Internet sensation, Mason Ramsey, will be making a special appearance in Hamilton this September. Recorded singing Hank Williams Sr.’s “Lovesick Blues” at a Walmart in Illinois, the rising star’s original video earned more than 20 million views in its first week and has surpassed 40 million views since then. After signing with Big Loud and Atlantic Records as the youngest major label Country artist since Billy Gilman, Ramsey debuted his first hit single “Famous.” Reaching No.1 on iTunes Country Songs chart and top-charted as No. 1 on global streaming Country song on Spotify, “Famous” laid the foundation for the release of Ramsey’s second single — his cover of “Lovesick Blues.”
Grammy-Award winner Keith Urban is no stranger to the CCMA Awards stage. This year, the platinum-selling artist will arrive in Hamilton celebrating the release of his ninth studio album GRAFFITI U. Hitting #1 on all-genre charts after one week of release and recently gold certified in Canada, GRAFFITI U boasts singles such as “Coming Home” (ft. Julia Michaels) and is anticipated to add to Urban’s long-list of #1 hits (23). The second chart-topping album for Keith Urban, GRAFFITI U will lay the foundation for electric, high-energy performances both at the 2018 CCMA Awards and each night of the upcoming 10 Canadian dates of the “GRAFFITI U WORLD TOUR”.
Recently earning the first #1 single at Canadian country radio by a female in more than a decade with “Criminal,” Lindsay Ell has spent the better part of the last year taking the country world by storm. With her debut release THE PROJECT named the #1 Critic’s Choice Country Album of the Year by Billboard, the Calgary native has just wrapped a year-long tour with Brad Paisley and will head out with both Sugarland and Keith Urban later this year.
Two-time CCMA Award Group of the Year winners, High Valley has become one of Canada’s biggest success stories. Selling over 1 million singles worldwide, the brother duo recently released their fifth studio album DEAR LIFE. Spawning the Top 10 hits “Every Week’s Got A Friday” and “Dear Life” (Top 5), DEAR LIFE also delivered the #1 Canadian Country radio hit and their fourth GOLD-certified song “I Be U Be.” Nominated for a 2018 JUNO Award for Country Album of the Year, High Valley will head out on the road with Old Dominion this fall, bringing their smash hits “Make You Mine” (certified GOLD in both Canada and the US) and “She’s With Me” (Top 5 in Canada/Top 10 at US Country radio) to fans across North America.
Tickets for the 2018 CCMA Awards are available now, with GOLD and PLATINUM Packages available as well. Single tickets and packages are available for purchase in-person through the FirstOntario Centre Box Office and online at ticketmaster.ca.
Who is your favorite artist performing at this year's CCMA's?
Who is your favorite nominee?
Here is the artist catagories:
ARTIST AWARDS
APPLE MUSIC FANS’ CHOICE AWARD
Gord Bamford
Dean Brody
Chad Brownlee
Tim Hicks
High Valley
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel
Jess Moskaluke
Dallas Smith
Shania Twain
FORD ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Country Music Made Me Do It - Meghan Patrick
Past The Past - Jess Moskaluke
The Project - Lindsay Ell
We Were That Song - Brett Kissel
What We're Made Of - The Washboard Union
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell
Madeline Merlo
Jess Moskaluke
Meghan Patrick
Shania Twain
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gord Bamford
Chad Brownlee
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith
Bobby Wills
GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
High Valley
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
The Reklaws
The Washboard Union
ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
The Lovelocks
Jessica Mitchell
Lindi Ortega
The Washboard Union
Donovan Woods
SIRIUSXM RISING STAR
Dan Davidson
Aaron Goodvin
Hunter Brothers
Leaving Thomas
The Reklaws
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Chills - James Barker Band
Country Music Made Me Do It - Meghan Patrick
Drive Me Away - Jess Moskaluke
Lonely Drum - Aaron Goodvin
Side Effects - Dallas Smith
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
The Bad Guy - Meghan Patrick
Drive Me Away - Jess Moskaluke
Hometown Kids - The Reklaws
Sky Stays This Blue - Dallas Smith
We Were That Song - Brett Kissel
SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR
Dean Brody, Matt Rovey
Song: 8th Day (Performed By: Dean Brody)
Dan Isbell, Meghan Patrick, Jeremy Stover
Song: Country Music Made Me Do It (Performed By: Meghan Patrick)
Zach Abend, Corey Crowder, Jess Moskaluke
Song: Drive Me Away (Performed By: Jess Moskaluke)
James Barker, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood
Song: It’s Working (Performed By: James Barker Band)
Skip Black, Aaron Goodvin, Catt Gravitt
Song: Lonely Drum (Performed By: Aaron Goodvin)
INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Tenille Arts
Hunter Brothers
Brett Kissel
Leaving Thomas
Nice Horse
MUSICIAN AWARDS
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kirby Barber
Chris Byrne
Lisa Dodd
Justin Kudding
Travis Switzer
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Matthew Atkins
Ben Bradley
Flavio Cirillo
Rich DaSilva
Chad Melchert
FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Denis Dufresne
Ali Raney
Mike Sanyshyn
Tyler Vollrath
Mark Whitehead
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Derek Caven
Paul Chapman
Matt McKay
Darren Savard
Geoff Torrn
KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Scott Galloway
Mike Little
Bart McKay
Dale Wallace
Brendan Waters
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
David Barber - Banjo
Denis Dufresne - Banjo
Shane Guse - Mandolin
Mitch Jay - Dobro
Connor Riddell - Banjo
STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Altmann
John Ellis
Mitch Jay
Doug Johnson
Mark Whitehead
INDUSTRY AWARDS
BOOKING AGENCY OF THE YEAR
APA Agency
The Feldman Agency
Invictus Entertainment Group
Sakamoto Agency
United Talent Agency
COUNTRY CLUB OF THE YEAR
Cook County Saloon - Edmonton, AB
The Dakota Tavern - Toronto, ON
Gabby's Country Cabaret - Langley, BC
Ranchman's Cookhouse and Dancehall - Calgary, AB
The Roxy - Vancouver, BC
COUNTRY FESTIVAL, FAIR, OR EXHIBITION OF THE YEAR
Big Valley Jamboree - Camrose, AB
Boots And Hearts Music Festival - Oro-Medonte, ON
Calgary Stampede - Calgary, AB
Cavendish Beach Music Festival - Cavendish, PE
Rockin' River Country Music Fest - Merritt, BC
COUNTRY MUSIC PROGRAM OR SPECIAL OF THE YEAR
Canadian Coast To Coast - Fabmar Communications
The Casey Clarke Country Countdown - Casey Clarke Productions
The Casey Clarke Show - Casey Clarke Productions
The Dungarees Christmas Special - Rogers Media and The Dungarees
Jess Moskaluke - Home Movie - Corus Entertainment
MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Big Loud Management LLC.
Invictus Entertainment Group
MDM Artist Management Services
RGK Entertainment Group Inc.
Starseed Entertainment Inc.
MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY OF THE YEAR
ole
Royalty Music Publishing Inc.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada
Universal Music Publishing Canada
Warner/Chappell Music Canada
RECORD COMPANY OF THE YEAR
MDM Recordings Inc.
ole red dot
Open Road Recordings Inc.
Universal Music Canada
Warner Music Canada
INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR
Steve Coady - Vice President, Radio Promotions - Warner Music Canada
Jim Cressman – President - Invictus Entertainment Group
Mike Denney – President - MDM Recordings Inc.
Shannon McNevan – Director of A&R - Universal Music Canada
Robert Ott – Chairman, CEO - ole
CREATIVE DIRECTOR(S) OF THE YEAR
Design Team: Rory Gardiner, Loren Stevenson Photography: Doyle Smith
Interactive Video Brochure, Associate Booklet, Album: Be You (Artist: Rory Gardiner)
Design Team: Jason Graham, Photography: John Gaucher
Album: In Comes The Night (Artist: Bobby Wills)
Design Team: Mitchell Nevins, Photography: Margaret Malandruccolo
Single: Loud (Artist: Tim Hicks)
Design Team: Antoine Moonen and Mediavandals, Photography: Delaney Royer
Album: Past The Past (Artist: Jess Moskaluke)
Design Team: Mitchell Nevins, Photography: Phil Crozier
Album: The Squeeze (Artist: The Road Hammers)
RECORDING STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Barrytone Studios - St. Clements, ON
Bart McKay Productions - Saskatoon, SK
MCC Recording Studio - Calgary, AB
OCL Studios - Chestermere, AB
Revolution Recording - Toronto, ON
RECORD PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR
Gord Bamford, Phil O'Donnell
Album: Neon Smoke (Artist: Gord Bamford)
Spencer Cheyne, Brett Kissel, Justin Kudding, Bart McKay, Matt McKay, Luke Wooten
Album: We Were That Song (Artist: Brett Kissel)
Jeff Dalziel
Album: What We’re Made Of (Artist: The Washboard Union)
Danick Dupelle, Tebey
Album: Love A Girl (Artist: Tebey)
Dan Swinimer
Album: Downtown Kids (Artist: David James)
RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Apple Music
Spotify Canada Inc.
Sunrise Records
**Less than 5 nominees
RON SAKAMOTO TALENT BUYER OR PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
Paul Biro - Sakamoto Agency
Jim Cressman - Invictus Entertainment Group
Emmanuel Patterson - Live Nation Entertainment
Julia Rambeau - MRG Group
Denise Ross - Live Nation Entertainment
VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Stephano Barberis
Video: The Bad Guy (Artist: Meghan Patrick), Video: Coming Clean (Artist: Shirley Gnome), Video: Dirt Covered Rhinestone (Artist: Jade Mya), Video: Heart Of A Woman (Artist: Johnny Reid), Video: Hold The Line (Artist: Jesse Mast), Video: Might As Well Be Me (Artist: Chad Brownlee), Video: Neon Smoke (Artist: Gord Bamford), Video: Out Of The Blue (Artist: Chad Brownlee), Video: Sky Stays This Blue (Artist: Dallas Smith), Video: Something To Wrap My Heart Around (Artist: JoJo Mason), Video: What We’re Made Of (Artist: The Washboard Union)
Gavin Michael Booth
Video: Born and Raised (Artist: Hunter Brothers), Video: Slide Over (Artist: Tim Hicks), Video: Sombrero (Artist: Scotty James), Video: Those Were The Nights (Artist: Hunter Brothers), Video: You Get To Me (Artist: River Town Saints)
Ben Knechtel
Video: Chills (Artist: James Barker Band), Video: Drive Me Away (Artist: Jess Moskaluke), Video: Hometown Kids (Artist: The Reklaws)
Travis Nesbitt
Video: Anywhere With You (Artist: The Dungarees), Video: Ring The Bells (Artist: The Dungarees), Video: Say We Did (Artist: Dan Davidson), Video: Shine (Artist: The Washboard Union)
Joel Stewart
Video: All About Her (Artist: Paul Brandt), Video: In Comes The Night (Artist: Bobby Wills), Video: Kill Your Love (Artist: Jess Moskaluke), Video: Past The Past (Artist: Jess Moskaluke)
*On-Air Personality(s) of the Year (Large Market), On-Air Personality(s) of the Year (Medium or Small Market), Radio Station of the Year (Large Market) and Radio Station of the Year (Medium or Small Market) are submission-based awards. The submissions are juried by a nation-wide panel to determine the winner in each category. There are no nominees in these categories. Winners will be announced during Country Music Week in Hamilton this September.
*The winners of the Top Selling Album of the Year, Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year and Top Selling Single of the Year are determined by sales. There are no nominees for these categories. Winners will be announced during Country Music Week in Hamilton this September.
Fans are encouraged to follow along with CCMA Award updates via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information on the CCMA and the 2018 CCMA Awards, visit ccma.org.