The Juno Awards of 1994, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 20 March 1994 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. Roch Voisine was the host for the ceremonies, which were taped that afternoon for broadcast that evening on CBC Television.
Nominations were announced 8 February 1994. Starting in 1994, the Best New Solo Artist combined the former Most Promising Male and Female Vocalist categories. Reggae also received its own category, after years of being included under banners such as "world beat" or mixed with calypso.
A new category for aboriginal music was also introduced and was awarded by Robbie Robertson. The award faced controversy after nominee Sazacha Red Sky was accused of cultural appropriation by Leonard George son of Chief Dan George, the alleged writer of the song that has since been registered as Public Domain, because she was not personally a member of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation and according to Leonard George did not have the right to record it under their cultural traditions."Controversy surrounds aboriginal category". Montreal Gazette, 20 March 1994. His son Leonard George sought a legal injunction to prevent the award from being presented at the Juno Awards ceremony at all,"Dispute threatens aboriginal Juno award". Toronto Star, 19 March 1994. and a final compromise revising Red Sky's nomination to reflect the album instead of the song was announced on the morning of the ceremony."Juno compromise reached in native song controversy". In 1996 the Prayer Song Sazacha Red Sky recorded was registered in the Public Domain after Grand Chief Slaholt younger brother to the late Dan George stated the song was not from his people or a personal song of his brother.Toronto Star, 20 March 1994.
Around the time of the 1994 ceremonies, there were plans to host the 1995 ceremonies in Winnipeg. However, Juno organisers CARAS was demanding substantial funding from the Winnipeg committee attempting to host the awards.
Atlantic group The Rankin Family was the major winner in 1994, winning awards in four categories including Entertainer of the Year.
Nominees and winners
Canadian Entertainer of the Year This award was chosen by a national poll rather than by Juno organisers CARAS.
Winner: The Rankin Family
Other Nominees: Barenaked Ladies Celine Dion The Tragically Hip Michelle Wright
Best Female Vocalist Winner: Celine Dion
Other Nominees: Rita MacNeil Sarah McLachlan Anne Murray Alannah Myles
Best Male Vocalist Winner: Roch Voisine
Other Nominees: Stef Carse Daniel Lanois John McDermott Snow
Best New Solo Artist Winner: Jann Arden
Other Nominees: Meryn Cadell Charlie Major Mario Pelchat Jim Witter
Group of the Year Winner: The Rankin Family
Other Nominees: Blue Rodeo The Jeff Healey Band Moxy Früvous Rush
Best New Group Winner: The Waltons
Other Nominees: Junkhouse The Odds Sloan The Tea Party
Songwriter of the Year Winner: Leonard Cohen
Other Nominees: Jann Arden Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor Sarah McLachlan Jane Siberry
Best Country Female Vocalist Winner: Cassandra Vasik
Other Nominees: Joan Kennedy Anne Murray Anita Perras Shania Twain
Best Country Male Vocalist Winner: Charlie Major
Other Nominees: Joel Feeney George Fox Ron Hynes Jim Witter
Best Country Group or Duo Winner: The Rankin Family
Other Nominees: The Blue Shadows Cassandra Vasik and Russell deCarle One Horse Blue The Johner Brothers
Best Instrumental Artist Winner: Ofra Harnoy
Other Nominees: John Arpin André Gagnon Jacques de Koninck Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
Best Producer Winner: Steven MacKinnon and Marc Jordan, "Waiting for a Miracle" from Reckless Valentine by Marc Jordan
Other Nominees: k.d. lang and Ben Mink, "Just Keep Me Moving" by k.d. lang (from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues soundtrack) Daniel Lanois, "The Messenger" and "Mon beau petit choux" from For the Beauty of Wynona by Daniel Lanois Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart with co-producer Peter Collins, "Nobody's Hero" and "Alien Shore" from Counterparts by Rush Jane Siberry, "Temple" from When I Was a Boy by Jane Siberry
Best Recording Engineer Winner: Kevin Doyle, "Old Cape Cod" and "Cry Me a River" by Anne Murray
Other Nominees: Marc Ramaer, "Just Keep Me Moving", "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" by k.d. lang Andy Hermant, "Life on the Inside Track", "Sweet Airs That Give Delight", "When Daisies Pied", "Sweet Airs That Give Delight" by Stratford Orchestra Stephen Traub, "Window of Opportunity" from Bombazine by Meryn Cadell Michael Phillip Wojewoda, "Beginning of Time" and "Calling All Angels" by Jane Siberry
Canadian Music Hall of Fame Winner: Rush
Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award Winner: John V. Mills
Nominated and winning albums
Best Album Winner: Harvest Moon, Neil Young
Other Nominees: The Future, Leonard Cohen I'll Always Be There, Roch Voisine Rocking Horse, Alannah Myles 12 Inches of Snow, Snow
Best Children's Album Winner: Tchaikovsky Discovers America, Susan Hammond, Classical Kids
Other Nominees: Candles, Snow and Mistletoe, Sharon, Lois and Bram The Child's Play Connection, Barbara Nichol and others Dream Catcher, Jack Grunsky Can't Sit Down, Eric Nagler
Best Classical Album (Solo or Chamber Ensemble) Winner: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Opus 10, No 1-3, Louis Lortie
Other Nominees: Mozart: Two-Piano Sonata, Louis Lortie and Helene Mercier Romantic Works for Guitar, Norbert Kraft Schmelzer: Sonatas, Tafelmusik, director Jeanne Lamon Simphonies des noels: A Treasury of Baroque Christmas Concerti, Les Violins du Roy, directory Bernard Labadie
Best Classical Album (Large Ensemble) Winner: Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op.3 No. 1-6, Tafelmusik, director Jeanne Lamon
Other Nominees: Barok: The Miraculous Mandarin, Montreal Symphony Orchestra Gluck: Ballet Pantomimes, Tafelmusik Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4, Arthur Ozolins, Toronto Symphony Orchestra Stravinsky, Szymanowski: Violin Concertos, Chantal Juillet and Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Best Classical Album (Vocal or Choral Performance) Winner: Debussy Songs, soprano Claudette Leblanc, piano Valerie Tryon
Other Nominees: Elektra Women's Choir, Elektra Women's Choir Full Well She Sang, The Toronto Consort Schubert: Lieder, soprano Edith Wiens, piano Rudolf Jansen, clarinet Joaquin Valdepenas Venetian Vespers of 1640, Vancouver Cantata Singers, director James Fankhauser
Best Album Design Winner: Marty Dolan, Faithlift by Spirit of the West
Other Nominees: Kenny Baird, 5 Days in July by Blue Rodeo Patrick Duffy and Steve Cole, Splendor Solis by The Tea Party David Houghton - Pale Sun, Crescent Moon by Cowboy Junkies Kevin Mutch, God Shuffled His Feet by Crash Test Dummies
Best Selling Album (Foreign or Domestic) Winner: The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston
Other Nominees: Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, Meat Loaf Fully Completely, The Tragically Hip Get a Grip, Aerosmith Keep the Faith, Bon Jovi
Best Mainstream Jazz Album Winner: Fables and Dreams, Dave Young/Phil Dwyer Quartet
Other Nominees: Just BB, Oliver Jones Our 25th Year, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass Standard Idioms, Sonny Greenwich Wheel Within a Wheel, Bernie Senensky
Best Blues/Gospel Album Winner: South at Eight/North at Nine, Colin Linden
Other Nominees: Bluesology, Whiteley Brothers Colin James and the Little Big Band, Colin James Terra Firma Boogie, Triple Threat You Can't Have Everything, Dutch Mason
Best Contemporary Jazz Album Winner: Don't Smoke in Bed, Holly Cole Trio
Other Nominees: Face the Music, Garbo's Hat Michael Farquharson, Michael Farquharson Notorious, Five After Four, with Vito Razza The Standard Line, David Mott
Best Selling Francophone Album Winner: Album de Peuple Tome 2, Francois Perusse
Other Nominees: Ca Va Bien, Kathleen Sergerie Corridors, Laurence Jalbert Europe Tour, Roch Voisine Pelchat, Mario Pelchat
Hard Rock Album of the Year Winner: Dig, I Mother Earth
Other Nominees: Counterparts, Rush Crush, Doughboys Givin Blood, Wild T and the Spirit Splendor Solis, The Tea Party
Best Roots & Traditional Album Winner: My Skies, James Keelaghan
Other Nominees: At a High Window, Garnet Rogers Christmas, Bruce Cockburn Home in Halifax, Stan Rogers Jigzup, Oliver Schroer
Nominated and winning releases
Single of the Year Winner: "Fare Thee Well Love", The Rankin Family
Other Nominees: "Courage", The Tragically Hip "Harvest Moon", Neil Young "He Would Be Sixteen", Michelle Wright "Love Can Move Mountains", Celine Dion
Best Classical Composition Winner: "Among Friends", Chan Ka Nin
Other Nominees: "Divertimento for Harp and Strings", Milton Barnes "Piano Concerto", Malcolm Forsyth "Sleight of Hand", Jean Piché "Three Poems", Peter Tiefenbach
Best Rap Recording Winner: "One Track Mind", TBTBT
Other Nominees: "Got to Get Over", B-Kool "Call the Cops", Devon "Safe", Rumble "Try and Stop Us", Split Personality
Best R&B/Soul Recording Winner: "The Time Is Right (I'll Be There for You)", Rupert Gayle
Other Nominees: "All I Need", George St. Kitts "And the Song Goes", Carol Medina "Love Me Right", MCJ and Cool G "Mothers of Hope", John James
Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording Winner: Wapistan Is Lawrence Martin, Wapistan
Other Nominees: "Booglatamooti (The Indian Song)", J. Hubert Francis and Eagle Feather "Grandfather", J. Hubert Francis and Eagle Feather "Stoney Park", Stoney Park Singers "The Prayer Song" (revised to Red Sky Rising), Sazacha Red Sky
Best Reggae Recording Winner: "Informer", Snow
Other Nominees: "Child Support", Inspector Lenny "Love and Affection", Tanya Mullings "Save the Children", Leejahn "Secret Admirer", D.J. Ray
Best Global Recording Winner: "El Camino Real", Ancient Cultures
Other Nominees: "Agada: Tales from Our Ancestors", Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band "Condor Meets the Eagle", Kanatan Aski with Pura Fé "Crossing Selkirk Avenue", Finjan "Enat", Mother Tongue
Best Dance Recording Winner: "Thankful (Raw Club Mix)", Red Light
Other Nominees: "Don't Make Me Wait", Oval Emotion "I'm in Love with You", BKS "R U Sexin' Me", West End Girls "Won't Give Up My Music", Lisa Lougheed
Best Video Winner: Jeth Weinrich, Jann Arden, "I Would Die For You"
Other Nominees: Don Allan, "Rain Down on Me" by Blue Rodeo Dale Heslip, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies Curtis Wehrfritz, "The Future" by Leonard Cohen Curtis Wehrfritz, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Holly Cole Trio
References
External links Juno Awards site