Newfoundland’s Gerry Strong is the recipient of the Slaight Music Unsung Hero Award for the 2017 Canadian Folk Music Awards(CFMA). The award will be presented during the CFMA Gala weekend on November 18 and 19 at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.
For more than forty years, Gerry Strong has been one of the mainstays of the music scene in Newfoundland and Labrador. A member of the seminal band Tickle Harbour, Strong was one of the pioneers of the traditional music revival who helped create an interest in the musical heritage of the province.
Known as the top tin whistle and Irish flute player in Newfoundland, he currently performs with the groups A Crowd of Bold Sharemen, What Odds, and Cotillion, and has toured both nationally and internationally. An ingenious arranger and composer, he has mentored and taught countless players. Strong works tirelessly as a volunteer presenter, and is one of the founders of The Carbonear Folk Festival, The Freshwater Concert Series and The Freshwater Coffee House; events which present local, national and international performers in the rural Newfoundland community of Freshwater, Carbonear.
“At Slaight Music we are committed to celebrating and supporting Canadians who contribute to their music communities. We are thrilled to congratulate this year’s Slaight Music Unsung Hero Award recipient Gerry Strong for his years of inspiration in Newfoundland” said Derrick Ross, President of Slaight Music.
This annual legacy category award recognizes the exceptional contribution of an individual, group, or organization to any aspect of the Canadian Folk music scene.
Nominees must be perceived as an “unsung hero”; someone who has received little in the way of national and/or public recognition for their accomplishments. The Slaight Music Unsung Hero category nomination process opens suggestions publicly for submissions to this category each year and is judged by the board of the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Complete details are online at http://folkawards.ca/eligibility/unsung-hero-award.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters.