Country artists up for awards

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Alberta Aboriginals have captured four nominations in four categories at this year's Alberta Country Music Awards.

Edmontonian Laura Vinson has been nominated as Female Artist of the Year along with Lorilee Brooks and Cindy Church. Vinson, along with band members, Fred LaRose, Paul and David Martineau also garnered a nomination in the SOCAN Alberta songwriter category for their single One of the Lucky Ones.

Ecka Janus, also of Edmonton, is up for Most Promising New Artist and for Single of the Year with First Comes the Fire.

This year's awards, the sixth annual, will salute emerging Native artists and dancers in country music with guest appearance Tom Jackson, star of CBC-TV's North of 60 series and The Young Eagles, powwow country rock artists from the Wesley Stoney First Nation at Morley, Alta.

The group is composed of seven musicians and vocalists and six dancers and drummers. The band's original songs and dance movements are based on stories told

their Elders, such as their grandfather's description of when he first saw an aircraft in flight. Many of the songs are about the life cycle and the relationship of human beings to the Creator.

The Canadian Native Arts Foundation will also sponsor an Alberta Native achievement award in country music at the awards presentations on Sunday, Aug. 29 at the Marlborough Inn in Calgary.

For the first time, this year's nominations and balloting is being done members of both the Country Music Association of Calgary and the Edmonton Country Entertainment & Rodeo Association. It will be the largest voting ever undertaken the awards.

"This is truly the first provincial involvement for the awards," said executive producer Edmund Oliverio. "We have reached out to our northern counterparts in Edmonton to include them in the voting for the awards.

"Sports and politics have developed keen rivalries throughout Alberta, but it's

our country music that brings us together."

New awards this year include youth talent awards in vocal and instrumental categories, country gospel performer, bluegrass music performer and country music performer of the year.

The awards will cap off CountryFEST '93, organized the Country Music Association of Calgary. A week of celebrations begin with a Pickin' 'n' Strummin' Family Picnic Celebration at Heritage Park in Calgary on Aug. 22. At the Stephen Avenue Mall downtown, daily stage performances from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. will feature The Young Eagles, country gospel and bluegrass artists and aspiring young country artists.