Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame


The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their Hall of Fame within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have made a significant contribution with respect to music. Since its inaugural induction ceremony in 2003, 50 songwriters and individuals and 130 songs have been inducted into the CSHF.

History

Founder

founded the CSHF/PACC while he was on the board for the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. His position was as the first music publisher appointee and as the voice for songwriters and publishers among the group of music industry professionals who oversee Canada's Juno Awards. Frank has had a long career in music, mainly as a record producer and music publisher, recently having received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2014 Juno Awards and the Harold Moon Special Achievement Award. He developed the Hall of Fame because he wanted increased public recognition for Canadian Songwriters.

SOCAN

In December 2011, SOCAN – the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada acquired the assets of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame's mandate aligns with SOCAN's objectives as a songwriter and publisher membership-based organization. The CSHF continues to be run as a separate organization with its own board of directors.

Award

Northern Island
The award is a miniature replica of the sculpture 'Northern Island' created by Elizabeth Wyn Wood, who was born in Orillia, Ontario. Wood was a Canadian sculptor, who graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1926. The award was selected by Davies and established in the year 2003.
Wood took many trips to the Pickerel River crossing, which is halfway between Parry Sound and Sudbury. She sketched, explored, swam, and feasted in the area she was enchanted by. It was in 1927 that Wood completed the first of the island sculptures which conveyed her true and unique artistic character.
Frank Davies Founder's Award
The Frank Davies Founder's Award is given to individuals who have dedicated a lifetime to building the Canadian music industry. Recipients receive the Northern Island Award.
Legacy Award
The Legacy Award is presented to individuals who have contributed significantly to the development, promotion and preservation of Canadian songs and songwriters. Legacy Award inductees receive the Northern Island Award.

Mandate

The CSHF/PACC's mandate is to honour and celebrate Canadian songwriters and those who have dedicated their lives to the legacy of music, and to educate the public about these achievements.
Few people, Canadians included, are aware of the depth of Canada's rich musical heritage and the enormous impact the country's songwriters have had on contemporary music around the world. Canadian songwriters have penned hits for Rod Stewart, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Gene Autry, Céline Dion, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Madonna, Bing Crosby, Jacques Brel, The Counting Crows, Louis Armstrong and André Gagnon, to name a few. The revelation of this news is always a source of great pride for Canadians and cause for admiration internationally.

Induction guidelines

Songwriters

s must be Canadian by birth or citizenship or have landed immigrant status and may be living or dead.
Songwriters must have written or co-written the music and/or lyrics to a song or catalogue of songs in one or more of the following categories:
Songwriters must have made a significant contribution through a song or catalogue of songs published, or otherwise made available to the public in some form, for at least twenty-five years. By virtue of their induction to the CSHF, a songwriter inductee's entire catalogue of work is also recognized and inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Recognition by era:

Songwriters and songs shall be recognized by era. All inductees are honoured equally and the eras simply provide a context for induction by allowing the CSHF to honour inductees, annually or otherwise, within a given span of years. The eras are:
An eligible song is a musical work that consists of lyrics and music, or music alone without lyrics, and written wholly or in part by a Canadian, living or dead, and may qualify in one or more of the following categories:
An eligible song may be an adaptation of an earlier musical work provided the adaptation is itself sufficiently original so as to qualify for copyright protection as a new musical work.
A translation is not eligible for song induction independent of the induction of the original musical work. However, if the translated lyrics are not a straight translation of the original lyrics but instead articulate a new and original meaning and sensibility such that the translated lyric is itself a new work capable of copyright protection as an adaptation separate from the original musical work then the adapted musical work may qualify for song induction.
Songs may have been written by previous songwriter inductees or eligible songwriter inductees and are subject to the same timelines and guidelines regarding eras as apply to the songwriters.

Others

With respect to the induction of those individuals who have contributed significantly to the development and recognition of Canadian songs and songwriters the board of directors will review any recommendations made to them by the Anglophone and Francophone Induction Committees. These awards are presented at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Board approvals

In accordance with the CSHF bylaws, the number of inductees, if any, in any given year shall be at the discretion of the board. The board shall also have the option to override guidelines in exceptional circumstances.

2008 inductees

Gala

The CSHF 2008 inductees were announced on 15 November 2007 at Toronto's Le Royal Meridien King Edward. The event was attended by over 150 artists, members of the media and other people in the industry. Performances at the press conference included:
The gala for this year's awards was conducted on 1 March 2008 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts and recorded for broadcast. Featured performances at the gala were:
CBC Radio 2 aired the gala broadcast on 2 March, and rebroadcast on CBC Radio 1 the following day. CBC Television aired its gala broadcast on 3 March. Performances from many French-language artists were omitted from the broadcasts, causing Hall of Fame honouree Claude Dubois to charge the CBC with racism and in turn prompted an apology from CBC vice-president Richard Stursberg.

Frank Davies Legacy Award

Songwriters
Songs
Songwriters
Songs
The 2010 awards were presented at a gala in Toronto on 28 March 2010 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Legacy awards

Musical archivist Edward B. Moogk received the Frank Davies Legacy Award. The Canadian Music Publishers Association Legacy Award was presented to music promoter Guy Latraverse.

Pioneer era songs

The rock group Rush was inducted in 2010 as were several of its songs:
Francophone singer Robert Charlebois was also declared a modern era inductee, as was some of his songs:
Two songs neither related to Charlebois nor Rush were also inducted into the Hall of Fame:

Songwriters

A-H