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ECMAs name honorary winners ahead of May awards weekend in Charlottetown

The East Coast Music Association announced it will give honorary awards to 10 Atlantic Canadians at the ECMA awards weekend, May 1-5 in Charlottetown, P.E.I. 

Bruce Guthro and Denis Parker among 10 honorary award recipients

Isabelle Gallant · CBC News ·
A man holding a guitar and wearing a dark blazer with a white shirt sings into a microphone.
Bruce Guthro, seen here performing in 2016, will be posthumously awarded the director's special achievement award from the ECMA. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

The East Coast Music Association announced it will give honorary awards to 10 Atlantic Canadians at the ECMA awards weekend, May 1-5 in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Cape Breton singer-songwriter Bruce Guthro, who died in September 2023, will receive the director's special achievement award, which recognizes "an exceptional contribution to the music industry on a national and/or international level," the association said in a news release. 

Another posthumous award will go to Newfoundland and Labrador blues musician Denis Parker, who died in February 2024. 

He will receive the Dr. Helen Creighton lifetime achievement award, given to "an individual or group who has had a profound and lasting effect on the Atlantic Canadian music industry," said the release. 

A man playing guitar in the window of a storefront.
Blues musician Denis Parker, who died in February, will receive the Dr. Helen Creighton lifetime achievement award. (CBC)

"The ECMA board of directors is proud to recognize the dedication and commitment of our industry professionals," Debbie Mullins, chair of the ECMA, said in the release. 

The other award recipients are: 

  • P.E.I. bass player Deryl Gallant — musician's achievement award
  • Nova Scotia music producer John Poirier — industry builder award
  • P.E.I. singer-songwriter Scott Parsons — Bucky Adams memorial award

The Stompin' Tom awards recognize one person in each of the ECMA's five regions: 

  • Newfoundland and Labrador musician Pamela Morgan.
  • Nova Scotia musician Ian Alistair Gosbee. 
  • Cape Breton choir director and educator Stephen Muise.
  • New Brunswick promoter and record store owner Zachary Atkinson. 
  • P.E.I. radio host and singer Kerri Wynne MacLeod, who died in February 2023.

The ECMA will host its annual festival and conference in Charlottetown from May 1 to 5, which includes the awards show on May 2, hosted by Rose Cousins and Damhnait Doyle. 

P.E.I. group The East Pointers leads the ECMA award nominations this year with seven. 

Jenn Grant of Nova Scotia has six nominations, as does Tim Baker of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Most of the honorary awards will be given out at a second awards ceremony on May 5.

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