Juno Awards of 2008

The Juno Awards of 2008 were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on the weekend ending 6 April 2008. These ceremonies honoured music industry achievements in Canada in the latter part of 2006 and in most of 2007.

Country performer and multiple Juno Award winner Paul Brandt received the 2008 Humanitarian Award which is now named after CHUM-FM Radio founder, Allan Waters. Moses Znaimer, who led the development of Citytv and MuchMusic, received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award. Nominations for all remaining categories were announced on 5 February 2008.

Notable among winners was Feist, winning all five awards in her nominated categories, three of which were presented in the televised gala.

Saturday gala
The Saturday gala where most awards are presented occurred at the Telus Convention Centre on 5 April, while the major awards were presented at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Sunday (6 April).

Sunday televised ceremonies
Performers appearing on the program included Feist, Finger Eleven, Michael Bublé, Avril Lavigne, Anne Murray, Paul Brandt, Aaron Lines, Gord Bamford, Hedley, Johnny Reid, and Jully Black.

The televised event was broadcast on CTV and hosted by Russell Peters. Peters' monologue was described by Edmonton Sun columnist Bill Harris as "the funniest opening five minutes we've ever seen from an awards-show host." Peters was also cited by Toronto Star entertainment critic Ben Rayner as offering a break from recent years of "iffy emceeing" during the award broadcasts.

The 2008 broadcast attracted CTV's second-highest ratings since the network gained broadcast rights. 1.45 million viewers were measured in 2008 compared to 2.18 million for the 2003 ceremonies.

Jeff Healey, an internationally noted Canadian musician who died the month before the Juno ceremonies, was given a brief tribute mention by members of Blue Rodeo during the televised awards ceremony.

I've never actually seen the Juno Awards, to be honest with you, which I guess makes me Canadian.

Nominees and winners
Nominees for the 2008 Juno Awards were announced on 5 February 2008. On 15 February 2008, CARAS indicated that it made a "logistical error" during its nominations voting process, announcing the addition of two new nominations and the replacement of one nomination as follows:


 * Album of the Year: Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, Anne Murray
 * New Artist of the Year: Jill Barber
 * Rap Recording of the Year: Memoirs of a Playbwoy, JDiggz; "Fall From Paradise" by Classified was disqualified because the song appeared on the album Hitch Hikin' Music which was previously nominated for the 2007 awards.

Artist of the Year
Winner: Feist

Other nominees:
 * Michael Bublé
 * Celine Dion
 * Avril Lavigne
 * Pascale Picard

Group of the Year
Winner: Blue Rodeo

Other nominees:
 * Arcade Fire
 * Finger Eleven
 * Hedley
 * Kaïn

New Artist of the Year
Winner: Serena Ryder

Other nominees:
 * Jill Barber (nomination added on 15 February 2008)
 * Belly
 * Jeremy Fisher
 * Justin Nozuka
 * Suzie McNeil

New Group of the Year
Winner: Wintersleep

Other nominees:
 * Dragonette
 * Faber Drive
 * illScarlett
 * State of Shock

Jack Richardson Producer of the Year
Winner: Joni Mitchell, "Hana" and "Bad Dreams"

Other nominees:
 * Kevin Churko, "I Don't Wanna Stop" and "God Bless the Almighty Dollar" (Ozzy Osbourne)
 * Rhys Fulber, "Weak in the Knees" and "Just Another Day" (Serena Ryder)
 * Bob Rock, "Everything" (Michael Bublé) and "Bomb" (Payola$)
 * Skratch Bastid, "Way Back When" and "The Outskirts" (Buck 65)

Recording Engineer of the Year
Winner: Kevin Churko, Black Rain (Ozzy Osbourne)

Other nominees:
 * John Bailey, Make Someone Happy (Sophie Milman)
 * Richard Chycki, Snakes & Arrows (Rush) and Are You Listening? (Dolores O'Riordan)
 * George Seara, Holly Cole (Holly Cole)
 * Jeff Wolpert, Onward! (Manteca)

Songwriter of the Year
Winner: Feist, "My Moon My Man", "1234", "I Feel It All"

Other nominees:
 * Daniel Bélanger, "La Fin de l'homme", "Television", "Sports et loisirs"
 * Avril Lavigne, "Girlfriend", "Keep Holding On", "When You're Gone"
 * Joel Plaskett, "Fashionable People", "Nothing More to Say", "Face of the Earth"
 * Rufus Wainwright, "Going to a Town", "Release the Stars", "Do I Disappoint You"

Fan Choice Award
Winner: Michael Bublé

Other nominees:
 * Celine Dion
 * Claude Dubois
 * Nelly Furtado
 * Avril Lavigne

Album of the Year
Winner: The Reminder, Feist

Other nominees:
 * The Best Damn Thing, Avril Lavigne
 * Call Me Irresponsible, Michael Bublé
 * Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, Anne Murray (nomination added on 15 February 2008)
 * D'elles, Celine Dion
 * Taking Chances, Celine Dion

Aboriginal Recording of the Year
Winner: The Dirty Looks, Derek Miller

Other nominees:
 * Home and Native Land, Little Hawk
 * Nikawiy Askiy, Sandy Scofield
 * Phoenix], Fara Palmer
 * What It Takes, Donny Parenteau

Adult Alternative Album of the Year
Winner: Small Miracles, Blue Rodeo

Other nominees:
 * Chrome Dreams II, Neil Young
 * Goodbye Blue Monday, Jeremy Fisher
 * No Stranger, Tom Cochrane
 * Release the Stars, Rufus Wainwright

Alternative Album of the Year
Winner: Neon Bible, Arcade Fire

Other nominees:
 * Close to Paradise, Patrick Watson
 * The Con, Tegan and Sara
 * LP, Holy Fuck
 * Welcome to the Night Sky, Wintersleep

Blues Album of the Year
Winner: Building Full of Blues, Fathead

Other nominees:
 * Blues Thing, Jack de Keyzer
 * High Country Blues, Harrison Kennedy
 * Junction City, Little Miss Higgins
 * A Lesson I've Learned, The Johnny Max Band

CD/DVD Artwork Design of the Year
Winner: Tracy Maurice and François Miron, Neon Bible (Arcade Fire)

Other nominees:
 * Felix Wittholz, Situation (Buck 65)
 * Jeff Harrison and Clinton Hussey, Ornamental Eterworld (Vonnegut Dollhouse)
 * John Cook, Mark Burchner and Greg Bennet, Revue: The Best of Paul Reddick
 * Mathieu Houde, Simon Rivest, Catherine Lepage, Mathieu Doyon, 2×2 (Pierre LaPointe)

Children's Album of the Year
Winner: Music Soup, Jen Gould

Other nominees:
 * Gonna Keep Dancing, Eddie Douglas
 * This is Daniel Cook: Here We Are, This is Daniel Cook
 * Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, Windsor Symphony Orchestra
 * Superstars, The Doodlebops

Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year
Winner: Holy God, Brian Doerksen

Other nominees:
 * Beautiful, Amanda Falk
 * Five Score and Seven Years Ago, Relient K
 * Roots Revolution, Newworldson
 * The Flame in All of Us, Thousand Foot Krutch

Classical Album of the Year (large ensemble)
Winner: Korngold, Barber & Walton Violin Concertos, James Ehnes, Bramwell Tovey, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Other nominees:
 * Elgar Violin Concertos, James Ehnes, Andrew Davis and the Philharmonia Orchestra
 * La Mer, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain
 * Vivaldi: L’estro armonico, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
 * Water Music, Les Violons du Roy

Classical Album of the Year (solo or chamber ensemble)
Winner: Alkan Concerto for Solo Piano, Marc-André Hamelin

Other nominees:
 * After Reading Shakespeare, Matt Haimovitz
 * Bach Cello Suites, Jean-Guihen Queyras
 * Rameau Keyboard Suites, Angela Hewitt
 * Shostakovich: Complete Works for Piano Trio/Silvestrov: Postlude DSCH, The Gryphon Trio

Classical Album of the Year (vocal or choral performance)
Winner: Surprise, Measha Brueggergosman

Other nominees:
 * Buxtehude – Membra Jesu Nostri, Les Voix Baroques
 * Constantinople, The Gryphon Trio
 * Samuel Barber Songs, Gerald Finley
 * Schubert Among Friends, The Aldeburgh Connection

Francophone Album of the Year
Winner: L'Échec du matériel, Daniel Bélanger

Other nominees:
 * D'elles, Céline Dion
 * L'homme qui me ressemble, Damien Robitaille
 * De retour à la source, Isabelle Boulay
 * Vers à soi, Jorane

Instrumental Album of the Year
Winner: The Utmost, Jayme Stone

Other nominees:
 * Foley Room, Amon Tobin
 * Jalopy, Joey Wright
 * Kensington Suite, Richard Underhill
 * Snake Road, Bob Lanois

International Album of the Year
Winner: Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna

Other nominees:
 * The Dutchess, Fergie
 * Lost Highway, Bon Jovi
 * Noël, Josh Groban
 * Timbaland Presents Shock Value, Timbaland

Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year
Winner: Almost Certainly Dreaming, The Chris Tarry Group

Other nominees:
 * Chasing After Light, Michael Occhipinti and Creation Dream
 * Forty Revolutions, David Occhipinti
 * Metaphora, Altered Laws
 * Onward!, Manteca

Traditional Jazz Album of the Year
Winner: Debut, Brandi Disterheft

Other nominees:
 * Brubeck Braid: twotet/deuxtet, David Braid, Matt Brubeck
 * Code Breaking, Tara Davidson
 * Foundations, Jodi Proznick Quartet
 * Live Jazz Legends, Oliver Jones, PJ Perry, Ian MacDougall, Terry Clarke, Michel Donato

Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
Winner: Make Someone Happy, Sophie Milman

Other nominees:
 * The Very Thought of You, Emilie-Claire Barlow
 * Destination Moon, Deborah Cox
 * Holly Cole, Holly Cole
 * Days Like These, Michael Kaeshammer

Pop Album of the Year
Winner: The Reminder, Feist

Other nominees:
 * Call Me Irresponsible, Michael Bublé
 * Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends, Anne Murray
 * Street Gospels, Bedouin Soundclash
 * Taking Chances, Celine Dion

Rock Album of the Year
Winner: Them vs. You vs. Me, Finger Eleven

Other nominees:
 * Hospital Music, Matthew Good
 * The Lucky Ones, Pride Tiger
 * The Saint Alvia Cartel, The Saint Alvia Cartel
 * Underclass Hero, Sum 41

Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Solo)
Winner: Right of Passage, David Francey

Other nominees:
 * The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park, Justin Rutledge
 * For All Time, Jill Barber
 * Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!, Corb Lund
 * Short Stories, Oh Susanna

Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Group)
Winner: Key Principles, Nathan

Other nominees:
 * ¿Buddy, Where You Been?, Compadres: James Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez
 * In Good We Trust, Harry Manx and Kevin Breit
 * New Seasons, The Sadies
 * Stellar Jays, John Reischman and The Jaybirds

World Music Album of the Year
Winner: Agua Del Pozo, Alex Cuba

Other nominees:
 * Frontiers, Jesse Cook
 * Jogo da Vida, Celso Machado
 * So the Journey Goes, Autorickshaw
 * Wanderlust, Kiran Ahluwalia

Single of the Year
Winner: "1234", Feist

Other nominees:
 * "Everything", Michael Bublé
 * "Girlfriend", Avril Lavigne
 * "Paralyzer", Finger Eleven
 * "Seven Day Fool", Jully Black

Classical Composition of the Year
Winner: "Constantinople", Christos Hatzis

Other nominees:
 * "A Child’s Cry From Izieu", Oskar Morawetz
 * "Letters From Mignon", R. Murray Schafer
 * "Quantum Mechanics", Jeffrey Ryan
 * "This Isn’t Silence", Brian Current

Country Recording of the Year
Winner: Risk, Paul Brandt

Other nominees:
 * Honkytonks and Heartaches, Gord Bamford
 * Kicking Stones, Johnny Reid
 * Life Is Calling My Name, Shane Yellowbird
 * Moments That Matter, Aaron Lines

Dance Recording of the Year
Winner: All U Ever Want, Billy Newton-Davis vs. Deadmau5

Other nominees:
 * After Hours, Melleefresh vs. Deadmau5
 * Every Time You Move, Nick Fiorucci
 * Fancy Footwork, Chromeo
 * Poppin' Beats, Hatiras

Music DVD of the Year
Winner: 666 Live, Billy Talent

Other nominees:
 * Danny Michel and The Black Tornados, Danny Michel
 * One Night at the Metropolis, Jesse Cook
 * Nights from the Alhambra, Loreena McKennitt
 * Trinity Revisited, Cowboy Junkies

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
Winner: Revival, Jully Black

Other nominees:
 * The Birth of Cornelius, Corneille
 * Goldrush, Ebrahim
 * 2U, Keshia Chanté
 * We Can All Be Free, God Made Me Funky

Rap Recording of the Year
Winner: The Revolution, Belly

Other nominees:
 * The Fewturistic, BrassMunk
 * Memoirs of a Playbwoy, JDiggz
 * Port Authority, Marco Polo
 * The Old Prince, Shad

Reggae Recording of the Year
Winner: "Don't Go Pretending", Mikey Dangerous

Other nominees:
 * "Don't Go", Korexion
 * "Final Road", Blessed
 * "Music is my Life", Tanya Mullings
 * "Two Chord Skankin'", Lyndon John X

Video of the Year
Winner: Christopher Mills, "C’mon" (Blue Rodeo)

Other nominees:
 * Kyle Davison, "Shake Tramp" (Marianas Trench)
 * Vincent Morriset, "Neon Bible" (Arcade Fire)
 * Marc Ricciardelli, "Walls Fall Down" (Bedouin Soundclash)
 * Sean Wainsteim, "Cheer It On" (Tokyo Police Club)

Compilation CD
A compilation album was released in February 2008

1.My Moon My Man – Feist—2.For The Nights I Can't Remember – Hedley—3.Girlfriend (radio edit) – Avril Lavigne—4.Nothing Special – IllScarlett—5.I Get Around – Dragonette—6.Paralyzer (clean version) – Finger Eleven—7.Tongue Tied – Faber Drive—8.Gate 22 – Pascale Picard—9.Everything – Michael Bublé—10. After Tonight – Justin Nozuka—11. Weak in the Knees – Serena Ryder—12.Born Losers – Matthew Good—13. Weighty Ghost – Wintersleep—14. This Town – Blue Rodeo—15.Walls Fall Down – Bedouin Soundclash—16.Pressure (radio edit) – Belly feat. Ginuwine—17.Seven Day Fool – Jully Black—18.Day Dream Believer – Anne Murray & Nelly Furtado—19.Didn't Even See The Dust – Paul Brandt—20.Dirty Old Man – Neil Young—21.Le Bonheur Au Large – Kaïn