Things looked a little different in 2020, but Canadian country music talent shined and was celebrated at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards!

Across two nights, in cities all over Canada and the United States, winners accepted the industry’s biggest awards with Brett Kissel, Tenille Townes, and Dallas Smith each ending up with three brand new CCMA awards to their name.

Kissel was the big winner on the Sunday night awards show, taking home the Fans’ Choice, Male Artist, and Album of the Year awards. It was the first time in his career that he won the Album trophy, earning the honour for his album Now Or Never, and it marked his second consecutive Fans’ Choice award.

Tenille Townes and Dallas Smith each took home an award during Sunday’s show (Female Artist of the Year & Entertainer of the Year respectively) to go with the two each on Saturday night (Townes: Songwriter and Video of the Year. Smith: Best Selling Canadian Album and Single). 

Washboard Union also took home two awards in 2020 with repeat victories in the Roots Album and Group or Duo of the Year categories. Tenille Arts won her first CCMA in the Rising Star category, Lindsay Ell repeated as Interactive Artist of the Year, and James Barker Band picked up their second Single of the Year award for the #1 Platinum single, Keep It Simple.

Congratulations to all of the winners, their teams, families, and fans. And congrats as well to all of the nominees who give it their all to pursue their dreams and entertain Canadian country music fans.

Check out the complete list of artist, musician, and industry winners from the 2020 Canadian Country Music Association Award below and stay tuned for more from the virtual media room, the show, and more!

Winners in bold and gold!

2020 CCMA Award Categories and Winners!

TD Entertainer of the Year

★ Dallas Smith
★ Dean Brody
★ Brett Kissel
★ The Reklaws
★ Tenille Townes

Album of the Year

★ Now Or Never – Brett Kissel
★ Black Sheep – Dean Brody
★ Love, Heartbreak, & Everything In Between – Tenille Arts
★ Singles Only – James Barker Band
★ Wild As Me – Meghan Patrick

Fans’ Choice

★ Brett Kissel
★ Dean Brody
★ Jade Eagleson
★ Hunter Brothers
★ James Barker Band
★ MacKenzie Porter
★ The Reklaws
★ Dallas Smith
★ Tebey
★ Tenille Townes

Female Artist of the Year

★ Tenille Townes
★ Lindsay Ell
★ Jess Moskaluke
★ Meghan Patrick
★ MacKenzie Porter

Group or Duo of the Year

★ The Washboard Union
★ High Valley
★ Hunter Brothers
★ James Barker Band
★ The Reklaws

Interactive Artist or Group of the Year

★ Lindsay Ell
★ Dan Davidson
★ Aaron Goodvin
★ Nice Horse
★ Tenille Townes

Male Artist of the Year

★ Brett Kissel
★ Dean Brody
★ Jade Eagleson
★ Dallas Smith
★ Tebey

Rising Star

★ Tenille Arts
★ Matt Lang
★ Tyler Joe Miller
★ Emily Reid
★ Sons Of Daughters

Roots Album of the Year

★ Everbound – The Washboard Union
★ Fingers Crossed – JJ Shiplett
★ Kalsey Kulyk – Kalsey Kulyk
★ Love Wins – Kelly Prescott
★ The Other Way – Donovan Woods

Single of the Year

★ Keep It Simple – James Barker Band
★ Count The Ways – Jade Eagleson
★ Drop – Dallas Smith
★ Single Man – High Valley
★ Whiskey In A Teacup – Dean Brody

Songwriter(s) of the Year

★ Tina Parol, Gordie Sampson, Tenille Townes
Song: Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking) (Performed By: Tenille Townes)
★ Skip Black, Aaron Goodvin, Matt Nolen
Song: Good Ol’ Bad Days (Performed By: Aaron Goodvin)
★ Brad Rempel, Ben Stennis, Jenna Walker, Stuart Walker
Song: I Do Too (Performed By: The Reklaws)
★ Jeff Coplan, Tim Hicks, Bruce Wallace
Song: No Truck Song (Performed By: Tim Hicks)
★ MacKenzie Porter, Jordan Sapp, Parker Welling
Song: These Days (Performed By: MacKenzie Porter)

Video of the Year

★ Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking) – Tenille Townes
★ Country Thunder – The Washboard Union
★ Drink About Me – Brett Kissel
★ No Truck Song – Tim Hicks
★ Silver Lining – Hunter Brothers

Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year

★ The Fall – Dallas Smith

Top Selling Single Canadian Album of the Year

★ Drop – Dallas Smith

Top Selling Album of the Year

★ What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs

Bass Player of the Year

★ Lisa Dodd (tie)
★ Justin Kudding (tie)
★ Kirby Barber
★ Curtis Ebner
★ Doug Elash
★ Matt Genereux
*Please note, there were more than 5 nominees in this category*

Drummer of the Year

★ Ben Bradley
★ Matthew Atkins
★ Spencer Cheyne
★ Flavio Cirillo
★ Rob Wells
★ Greg Williamson
*Please note, there were more than 5 nominees in this category*

Fiddle Player of the Year

★ Tyler Vollrath
★ Linsey Beckett
★ Tyler Beckett
★ Denis Dufresne
★ Matt Piche
★ Mike Sanyshyn
*Please note, there were more than 5 nominees in this category*

Guitar Player of the Year (presented by PRS Guitars)

★ Matt McKay
★ Paul Chapman
★ Ryan Davidson
★ Chad Murphy
★ Darren Savard

Keyboard Player of the Year

★ Brendan Waters
★ Mike Little
★ Scott Wilkinson

Specialty Instrument Player of the Year

★ Mitch Jay
★ Connor Riddell
★ Tyler Vollrath

Steel Guitar Player of the Year

★ Mitch Jay
★ Chris Altmann
★ Doug Johnson

Music Director of the Year (Large Market) of the Year

★ Amanda Kingsland – CKBY-FM – Ottawa, ON
★ Steph Hansen – CISN-FM/CKRY-FM – Edmonton, AB/Calgary, AB
★ Jaxon Hawks – CJJR-FM – Vancouver, BC
★ A.J. Keller – CFCW – Edmonton, AB
★ Peter Walker – CJKX-FM/CHKX-FM – Oshawa, ON/Hamilton, ON

Music Director of the Year (Medium / Small Market) of the Year

★ Shilo Bellis – CJXL-FM – Moncton, NB
★ Paul Ferguson – CHCQ-FM – Belleville, ON
★ Cal Gratton – CJVR-FM – Melfort, SK
★ Luca James – CKGY-FM – Red Deer, AB
★ Peter Morena – CKYY-FM – St. Catharines, ON

Country Personality(ies) of the Year

★ Shannon Ella – Pure Country
★ Wendy Boomer – CKBY-FM
★ Paul McGuire – Stingray
★ Randy Owen – CJDL-FM
★ Sarah Scott – CFXO-FM

Radio Station of the Year (Large Market)

★ CKRY-FM – Calgary, AB
★ CFCW – Edmonton, AB
★ CJKX-FM – Oshawa, ON
★ CKBY-FM – Ottawa, ON
★ CKKL-FM – Ottawa, ON

Radio Station of the Year (Medium / Small Market)

★ CJXL-FM – Moncton, NB
★ CFXO-FM – High River, AB
★ CHCQ-FM – Belleville, ON
★ CICX-FM – Orillia, ON
★ CKGY-FM – Red Deer, AB

Booking Agency of the Year

★ Sakamoto Agency
★ The Feldman Agency
★ Invictus Entertainment Group
★ Paquin Artist Agency
★ United Talent Agency

Country Club of the Year

★ King Eddy – Calgary, AB
★ Cook County Saloon – Edmonton, AB
★ Cowboys Roadhouse – Winnipeg, MB
★ Ranchman’s Cookhouse And Dancehall – Calgary, AB
★ Rock ‘N’ Horse Saloon – Toronto, ON

Country Festival, Fair or Exhibition of the Year

★ Boots And Hearts Music Festival – Oro-Medonte, ON
★ Calgary Stampede – Calgary, AB
★ Cavendish Beach Music Festival – Cavendish, PE
★ Centerfield Music Festival – St. Paul, AB
★ Diesel Bird Digital Music Festival – Online

Country Music Program or Special of the Year

★ Canada Together: In Concert – Corus Entertainment
★ A Kissel Country Christmas – BAK 2 BAK Entertainment Inc./Stingray
★ Casey Clarke Country Countdown – Casey Clarke Productions
★ Girl Power Hour – Rogers Media
★ The Paul McGuire Show – Stingray

Management Company of the Year

★ Invictus Entertainment Group
★ Big Loud Management
★ MDM Artist Management Services
★ RGK Entertainment Group
★ Starseed Entertainment

Music Publishing Company of the Year

★ Warner Chappell Music Canada
★ Anthem Entertainment
★ Big Loud Publishing
★ Sony / ATV Music Publishing
★ Universal Music Publishing Group

Record Company of the Year

★ Warner Music Canada
★ MDM Recordings Inc.
★ Open Road Recordings
★ Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc.
★ Universal Music Canada

Industry Person of the Year (presented by MNP)

★ Mike Denney – MDM Recordings Inc – President
★ Steve Coady – Warner Music Canada – Vice President, Radio Promotion
★ Warren Copnick – Sony Music Entertainment (Canada) Inc. – Director of National Promotion
★ Brianne Deslippe – Big Loud Records – Vice President of Promotion/General Manager Canada
★ Anya Wilson – Anya Wilson Promotion – Radio Promoter

Creative Director(s) of the Year Award

★ Design Team: Brett Kissel, Connor Scheffler
Album: Now Or Never (Artist: Brett Kissel)
★ Design Team: Mitchell Nevins, Madeline Merlo, Photography: Emma-Lee
Digital Single Packaging: Kiss Kiss, If You Never Broke My Heart, It Didn’t, Digital Singles, Newsletter Template, Zoom Digital Background Filter, Instagram Filter, Website (Artist: Madeline Merlo)
★ Design Team: Bronwin Parks
Single: Just Let Go (Artist: Gord Bamford), Album, Vinyl and Artist Merchandise: It Was A Song (Artists: Ryan Langlois) Singles: (Country Thunder, Country Thunder Acoustic, Dock Rock, Artist Branding (Artist: The Washboard Union)
★ Design Team: Wes Mack, Kyle Bottoms
Album: Soul (Artist: Wes Mack)
★ Design Team: Nick Perreault, James Murdoch, Ben Shillabeer
Album: Twenty Something, Single: Homesick For The Holidays, Social Graphics (Artist: The Dungarees)

Recording Studio of the Year

★ Noble Street Studios – Toronto, ON
★ Barrytone Studios – Miramichi, NB
★ Bart McKay Productions – Saskatoon, SK
★ MCC Recording Studio – Calgary, AB
★ OCL Studios – Chestermere, AB

Record Producer(s) of the Year

★ Scott Moffatt
Album: What You See Is What You Get (Artist: Luke Combs)
★ Jeff Dalziel
EP: Highway Mile (Artist: Aaron Allen), Single: Hot Mess (Artist: Nice Horse), Single: I Do (Artist: Dan Davidson)
★ Jacob Durrett, Brett Kissel, Bart McKay
Album: Now Or Never (Artist: Brett Kissel)
★ Karen Kosowski
Single: Country Thunder (Artist: The Washboard Union)
★ Joey Moi, Dave Cohen
Single: These Days (Artist: MacKenzie Porter)

Retailer of the Year

★ Apple Music
★ Amazon Music
★ Spotify Canada Inc.

Ron Sakamoto Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year

★ Paul Biro – Sakamoto Agency
★ Jim Cressman – Invictus Entertainment Group
★ Adam Oppenheim – Stampede Entertainment Inc.

Video Director of the Year

★ Ben Knechtel
Video: Ain’t My Fault (Live @ MOD CLUB) (Artists: Jade Eagleson), Video: Bars & Churches (Artist: Aaron Goodvin), Video: Can’t Help Myself (Artist: Dean Brody x The Reklaws), Video: Count The Ways (Artist: Jade Eagleson), Video: Loved You Like That (Artist: Kris Barclay), Video: Old Country Soul (Artist: The Reklaws), Video: Still Gonna Be You (Artist: Jade Eagleson), Video: The Way You Roll (Artist: Chad Brownlee), Video: There’s A Drink For That (Artist: James Barker Band)
★ Stephano Barberis
Video: All The Time (Artist: David James), Video: As If We Won’t (Artist: JoJo Mason), Video: Better On You (Artist: JoJo Mason), Video: Country Girls (Artist: Jess Moskaluke), Video: Country Thunder (Artist: The Washboard Union), Video: Dear Me (Artist: Madeline Merlo), Video: Timeless (Artist: Dallas Smith)
★ Emma Higgins
Video: I Needed That (Artist: Andrew Hyatt), Video: She Drives Me Crazy (Artist: Brett Kissel), Video: Your Mama (Artist: High Valley)
★ Raphael Mazzucco
Video: The Good Ones (Artists: Tebey and Marie-Mai)
★ Travis Nesbitt
Video: Bad Guy – Billie Eilish Bluegrass Cover (Artist: DD and the Butterlovers) , Video: Church (Artist: Dan Davidson), Video: Days Go By – Keith Urban Cover (Artist: Jess Moskaluke), Video: Good Life (Aritst: Nice Horse), Video: Halfway Home (Artist: Jess Moskaluke), Video: I Do (Artist: Dan Davidson), Video: If I Can’t Have You – Shawn Mendes Bluegrass Cover (Artist: DD and the Butterlovers), Video: If The World Was Ending – JP Saxe Cover (Artist: Ryan Lindsay), Video: Resistorz (Artist: Clayton Bellamy & The Congregation), Video: Say My Name – Destiny’s Child Cover (Artist: Jess Moskaluke), Video: Symphony Of Destruction – Megadeath Bluegrass Cover (Artist: DD and the Butterlovers), Video: They Don’t Make Em Like they Used To (Artist: The Dungarees), Video: This Love – Maroon 5 Cover (Artist: Jess Moskaluke), Video: Unkiss Her (Artist: Dan Davidson), Video: Way Back When (Artist: Ryan Lindsay), Video: Wild (Artist: Ryan Lindsay), Video: Wolves At The Door (Artist: Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion)

Author profile

Joshua Murray

creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.