440px-Juno_Awards_Logo.svgThe Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has revealed the nominees in 41 categories – including Contemporary Roots Album of the Year and Traditional Roots Album of the Year – for the 2017 JUNO Awards. In addition, singer-songwriter and social activist Buffy Sainte-Marie will receive the Alan Waters Humanitarian Award, while multi-platinum, award-winning singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The JUNO Awards will be presented April 2 at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa, Ontario, and will be broadcast live on CTV and CTV GO.

In the running for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year are The Family Album (Matthew Barber & Jill Barber), Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen? (Lisa LeBlanc), Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams (Corin Raymond), Strange Country (Kacy & Clayton), and Earthly Days (William Prince).

Traditional Roots Album of the Year nominees include Gathering (Maria Dunn), Someday the Heart (The High Bar Gang), The Original (Jenny Whiteley), Aupres du Poele (Ten Strings and a Goat Skin), and Secret Victory (The East Pointers).

Buffy Sainte-Marie, whose musical career spans more than 50 years, is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose songs have also been covered by hundreds of other artists. She is known for her thought-provoking lyrics and her passionate advocacy for Aboriginal people. Also a social activist, educator and philanthropist, Sainte-Marie has sought to protect indigenous intellectual property and championed indigenous artists and performers. It is in recognition of the latter that she will receive the Alan Water Humanitarian Award.

Sarah McLachlan, a ten-time JUNO and three-time Grammy Award-winning artist, is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists. She created Lilith Fair 20 years ago – a festival dedicated to showcasing and supporting female artists. McLachlan was the recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2015 and of the Alan Waters Humanitarian Award in 2006.

A complete list of JUNO Awards nominees can be found, along with additional information, on line at www.junoawards.ca.