After putting her heart and soul into her latest CD, Catherine MacLellan was rewarded in a big way last night.
The P.E.I. singer-songwriter scored the first Juno award of her career, winning roots and traditional album of the year – The Raven’s Sun.
"I'm just so honoured to win. The entire category was stacked with amazing artists, and any one of us could have taken it. I hope this helps to shine a light on the great music coming out of the east coast, and P.E.I. in particular,” says MacLellan, who competed with Amelia Curran, James Hill, Del Barber and Matt Anderson for the award which was presented at Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre.
MacLellan was not able to attend last night’s gala as she’s currently on tour in Germany and Holland.
She was also nominated for songwriter of the year, the category won by her late legendary song-writing father, Gene MacLellan (“Snowbird”, “Put Your Hand in the Hand”) in 1971.
Named for the creation story of the Pacific Coast First Nations about Raven bringing light to the world, The Raven’s Sun reflects the brighter place MacLellan finds herself in these days, due, in part, to her happy musical and personal partnership with guitarist, Chris Gauthier, and an emerging sense that she’s gaining the upper hand in her lifelong battle with depression.
It’s also the first album the two have made together without a band, with Gauthier at the helm as producer.
They recorded the album on tape using analogue gear and added almost nothing but a hint of bass and fiddle as accents – in an effort to recreate the easygoing, intimate feel of the pair’s live shows.
The minimalist arrangements help showcase the seemingly-effortless beauty of MacLellan’s song-craft.
The offspring of Canadian song-writing royalty, MacLellan has proven herself a deserving heir to her father’s legacy ever since being named the Favourite New Discovery of 2008 in the Penguin Eggs folk magazine Critics’ Poll.
The new Juno will occupy space on her mantle next to three East Coast Music Awards, two Canadian Folk Music Awards, and too many P.E.I. Music Awards to count.
After putting her heart and soul into her latest CD, Catherine MacLellan was rewarded in a big way last night.
The P.E.I. singer-songwriter scored the first Juno award of her career, winning roots and traditional album of the year – The Raven’s Sun.
"I'm just so honoured to win. The entire category was stacked with amazing artists, and any one of us could have taken it. I hope this helps to shine a light on the great music coming out of the east coast, and P.E.I. in particular,” says MacLellan, who competed with Amelia Curran, James Hill, Del Barber and Matt Anderson for the award which was presented at Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre.
MacLellan was not able to attend last night’s gala as she’s currently on tour in Germany and Holland.
She was also nominated for songwriter of the year, the category won by her late legendary song-writing father, Gene MacLellan (“Snowbird”, “Put Your Hand in the Hand”) in 1971.
Named for the creation story of the Pacific Coast First Nations about Raven bringing light to the world, The Raven’s Sun reflects the brighter place MacLellan finds herself in these days, due, in part, to her happy musical and personal partnership with guitarist, Chris Gauthier, and an emerging sense that she’s gaining the upper hand in her lifelong battle with depression.
It’s also the first album the two have made together without a band, with Gauthier at the helm as producer.
They recorded the album on tape using analogue gear and added almost nothing but a hint of bass and fiddle as accents – in an effort to recreate the easygoing, intimate feel of the pair’s live shows.
The minimalist arrangements help showcase the seemingly-effortless beauty of MacLellan’s song-craft.
The offspring of Canadian song-writing royalty, MacLellan has proven herself a deserving heir to her father’s legacy ever since being named the Favourite New Discovery of 2008 in the Penguin Eggs folk magazine Critics’ Poll.
The new Juno will occupy space on her mantle next to three East Coast Music Awards, two Canadian Folk Music Awards, and too many P.E.I. Music Awards to count.
