Music: {allcanada} Gala honours Canada's best songwriters

Sunday, April 3, 2011

{allcanada} Gala honours Canada's best songwriters

The Band's Robbie Robertson and Quebec songwriter Luc Plamondon were inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Saturday evening at a gala ceremony at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

"Songwriting is like going fishing, you throw it out there and you just hope you can catch something but you never know, it just comes and goes by sometimes," Robertson said following a speech by Sylvia Tyson. "It's a magical creative thing and I love the idea that still at this stage I have no understanding of it but I love it."

Robertson, who along with Plamondon was inducted into the Modern Era category, also praised the musicians who performed prior to his speech, including East Coast group Wintersleep's rendition of Broken Arrow and Colin Linden and Tom Wilson nailing The Weight.

The musician also gave kudos to producer Daniel Lanois for playing The Band's The Moon Struck One on lap steel, a performance Robertson described as "haunting and remarkable."

"I've seen some good music in my day and this was really, really special tonight," he said. "I'm so proud to be a part of it."

Meanwhile a jovial Plamondon – whose songs have been covered by artists including Celine Dion and Petula Clark among countless others – was thrilled to receive the honor since receiving a similar award in Quebec could look a tad biased.

"In Montreal I cannot receive a prize for lyricist because there is a prize that exists but it's called the Luc Plamondon Prize," he quipped before thanking some of the composers he worked with as well as the numerous musicians who covered his songs.

The songwriter also noted how each trip to Ontario resulted in him receiving an award, whether it was being part of Canada's Walk Of Fame the same year as Shania Twain or sitting beside Joni Mitchell at a ceremony in Ottawa with Mitchell still unaware of who Plamondon was.

"I hope you still remember me ten years from now," Plamondon said with a laugh following fine performances by Brigitte Boisjoli on Oxygene and Eric Lapointe on L'amour Existe Encore. Celine Dion also sent a special video message saying how millions of people around the world have enjoyed Plamondon's songs and how honored she was to sing them.

Elsewhere Pierre Letourneau was inducted in the Radio Era (1939-1969) along with Jack Scott, the latter best known for his signature What In The Worlds Come Over You which Russell deCarle performed during the ceremony. The Percy Faith and Carl Sigman song My Heart Cries For You was also inducted into the Radio Era.

A handful of songs were also inducted including Je Suis Cool written by Gilles Valiquette which musician Antoine Gratton delivered with a bluesy moxie on piano and Oh What A Feeling which garnered Crowbar and chief songwriters Kelly Jay Fordham and Roly Greenway a standing ovation. Others included Jacques Michel's Pas Besoin De Frapper Pour Entrer, Wildflower by Doug Edwards and Dave Richardson and When I Die by Steve Kennedy and William Smith.

Elsewhere inductees included Romeo Beaudry and John Stromberg in the Pioneer Era category while Arthur Scammell was also included in the category for his song Squid Jiggin' Ground. And Edith Margaret Fowke, Mary Helen Creighton and Yvan Dufresne were honored with various legacy awards for their contributions.