Bill Werthmann is a co-founder of Edmonton’s Northern Lights Folk Club and, alongside Betty jo Werthmann, has spent nearly three decades building one of Alberta’s most respected folk music communities. Through the club’s regular concert series, they have helped introduce audiences to emerging artists while creating a welcoming environment for performers, volunteers, and music lovers alike. Their commitment to community has extended well beyond the stage. Bill’s 2013 cross-Canada Hillary’s Ride, undertaken in memory of their daughter Hillary, raised awareness and support for mental health and suicide prevention, while he and Betty jo also co-presented a decade of Home Fest, raising funds and awareness for organizations serving people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton. In recognition of their longstanding contributions to Canada’s folk music community and their dedication to fostering connection through music, Bill and Betty jo Werthmann received the 2026 Canadian Folk Music Awards Unsung Hero Award.
Order of Folk Inductee
Bill Werthmann
Join us in celebrating the 2027 Canadian Folk Music Awards in Sydney, Cape Breton – Unama’ki, Nova Scotia!
Canadian Folk Music Awards
71 Markland Cres.,
Ottawa Ontario K2G5Z6
CFMA is a registered non-profit organization, and gratefully accepts donations to support our operations.
CRA Number : 827183542RC0001
The Board, Staff, and Volunteers at the Canadian Folk Music Awards acknowledge that we live, work, meet and travel on the traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples that have cared for this land, now called Canada, since time immemorial. These lands are either subject to First Nations self-government under modern treaty, unceded and un-surrendered territories, or traditional territories from which First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples have been displaced.