Presented by BMO Nesbitt Burns, the seventh Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place on April 2, 2011 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.
The event honoured Modern Era Inductees Robbie Robertson and Luc Plamondon, as well as seven timeless songs by some of Canada’s most influential songwriters and three Legacy Award recipients.
Hosted by Geneviève Borne, the event featured a stirring rendition of Robbie Robertson’s song Moon Struck One by Daniel Lanois and a unique performance of Broken Arrow by the band Wintersleep.
Québécois singer-songwriter Brigitte Boisjoli paid tribute to Luc Plamondon with her powerful version of Oxygène. Coral Egan performed a Starmania medley included poignant interpretations of L’amour existe encore and Le blues du businessman by Eric Lapointe, Le monde est stone by Sébastien Plante and Les uns contre les autres performed by Coral Egan.
The CSHF presented the Frank Davies Legacy Award, named after the founder of the CSHF, to prominent folklorists Helen Creighton and Edith Fowke. The CMPA (Canadian Music Publishers Association) Legacy Award was given to influential Quebec producer and music impresario Yvan Dufresne.
The evening also included Divine Brown singing a soulful version of the ‘70s radio hit Wildflower, and a standing ovation for Crowbar’s performance of their anthem Oh, What a Feeling. Figgy Duff alumni saluted Newfoundlanders with Squid Jiggin’ Ground (Arthur Scammell) while Russell deCarle of the band Prairie Oyster performed What In the World’s Come Over You (Jack Scott). Pierre Lapointe sang La chanson des pissenlits (Pierre Létourneau); Antoine Gratton performed an energetic Je Suis Cool (Gilles Valiquette); and Wilfred Le Bouthillier sang Pas besoin de frapper pour entrer (Jacques Michel).
The ceremony was aired nationwide by broadcast partner CBC Radio Two on April 8, 2011 as a special presentation of Canada Live and on Espace Musique in Quebec. It also aired on CBC Radio One on April 8 and April 15, 2011.
