Corb Lund Wins Three Western Canadian Music Awards

10/23/06 6:00pm

by Andrew Stewart (CHARTattack)

Winnipeg was a little louder this past weekend, as it hosted the fourth annual Western Canadian Music Awards, celebrating the best in music that the western provinces have to offer.

The main event, hosted by local celebrities Al Simmons and Ace Burpee, took place on Sunday at the Burton Cummings Theatre.

The big winner of the evening was four-time nominee Corb Lund, who took three awards for Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer. Other winners included Bif Naked, Nickelback, Michael Buble and Jann Arden.

Show performers were paired together, resulting in such mash-ups as the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir and hip-hop artist Mood Ruff, country singer Aaron Pritchett and veteran roots-rocker Barney Bentall, and choral group Madrigaia and electronica act Au4 playing on stage together. Hometown heroes Harlequin were inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall Of Fame, and the band's original lineup reformed for a show-closing performance.

The awards show was just one part of the WCMA activities, which also included a three-day conference, a youth career day and a music festival.

Here are the Western Canadian Music Award winners:

Major Label Album: Michael Buble — It's Time
Independent Album: Corb Lund — Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer
Rock Recording: Nickelback — All The Right Reasons
Pop Recording: Jann Arden — Jann Arden
Video of the Year: Bif Naked — "Let Down"
Entertainer: The Bills
Blues Recording: Perpetrators — The Gas And The Clutch
Roots Recording: Corb Lund — Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer
Country Recording: Road Hammers
Jazz Recording: Brad Turner Quartet — What Is
Rap/Hip-Hop Recording: Mood Ruff — I Do My Own Stunts
Instrumental Recording: Joel Fafard — ...And Another Thing...
Francophone Recording: La Raquette A Claquettes — Quand La Pluie Viendra
Classical Composition: Stephen Chaman — "Piano Quintet"
Aboriginal Recording: Andrea Menard — Simple Steps
Christian Recording: Fresh I.E. — Truth Is Fallin' In Tha Streetz
Children's Recording: Lana Rae — I Gotta Be Me!
Songwriter: Corb Lund — Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer
Producer: Jann Arden/Russell Broom — Jann Arden
Hall Of Fame: Harlequin