2014 CCMA Awards honours two Morinville musicians

The talk in country music today is how Gord Bamford is the undisputed king of Canadian country after winning two of the most prestigious Canadian Country Music Association awards – Male Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for his slow-moving When Your Lips Are So Close.

After the nationally televised 2014 CCMA Awards show on Sunday, the Lacombe singer announced he’d signed a deal with the American arm of Sony Music.

“I got turned down by every record label in Nashville probably two or three times until last week,” the 38-year-old Bamford told reporters.

“I’m just hoping I can be one of those guys to bust through so it paves the way for more Canadians because it needs to be done. So let’s take some good redneck Canadian country music over across the border and see if we can do good over there.”

Bamford was expressing the same exuberance two Morinville musicians felt after winning the 2014 All Star Band Awards.

Bass player Travis Switzer and drummer Chad Melchert were awarded the All Star Band Awards for their respective instruments.

“It was fantastic, very unexpected and very humbling,” said Switzer who also won the award in 2013.

The low-key ceremonies were held at the Citadel Theatre on Saturday with about 150 musicians, family, friends and industry insiders in attendance. And it proved to be an evening of unexpected surprises.

First off, neither Switzer nor Melchert were in attendance to accept their tempered glass trophy. Both were performing at Canadian Country Music Association week sanctioned events.

Travis was performing at the Gibson Guitars CCMA House Party when he received a text from his wife, Anne-Marie announcing his win.

When she stepped onto the stage to collect his trophy, someone from the audience asked where he was.

Without missing a beat she replied, “He’s probably doing what he does best as Matthew Atkins (All Star drum nominee) would say – taking a poop somewhere.”

The audience roared with laughter and most folks thought the joke was hard to beat until Brett Kissel stepped up to the microphone to roast Wendell Ferguson. The 60-year-old veteran singer-songwriter was officially inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame just one hour prior at a gala dinner.

Kissel had borrowed Glen Campbell’s Galveston and rewrote the lyrics roasting Ferguson with one line grinning at how the veteran singer had kissed him on the lips.

At the close of the song, Ferguson leaped onto the stage, wrapped an arm around Kissel’s neck and planted a smooch on his lips while the younger singer tried to disentangle himself from the brotherly lip-lock.

“I think we all need a moment to recap on the talent, not wet Wendell,” shouted a clearly surprised Jake Mathews as host.

But the biggest surprise came when Tyler Vollrath, nephew of Morinville fiddle champ Calvin Vollrath, won an award and in this thank you speech on bended knee, proposed to girlfriend Becky Locke.

At the moment she said, “Yes,” the applause and well wishes brought the house down.

The Saturday event turned into an unscripted night of congratulatory backslapping, laughing, a zany lip-lock and a surprise marriage proposal.

When the applause died down for the newly engaged, Mathews said, “Wow. I don’t know what to say except it’s a perfect way to end the evening.” And it was.