That song’s Canadian? Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame honours global hits with Covered Classics

TORONTO, February 2, 2015 – As a long-standing advocate for Canadian music, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is proud to announce Covered Classics, a new element in its song induction program. The first song inducted through this series is “To Sir With Love”, written by Don Black and Canada’s own Mark London.

“We wanted to find new ways to increase the profile and visibility of Canadian songwriters and honour their contributions to our nation’s rich music history,” said CSHF manager Lisa Gaglia. “Covered Classics allows us to showcase Canada’s best in the music industry throughout the year.”

A collaboration between the CSHF and CBC/Radio-Canada, Covered Classics celebrates Canadian songs by inviting our country’s brightest musical talent to perform their own rendition of an inducted song. This provides an opportunity to honour the past and introduce a new generation of music lovers to these classic songs. The new covers, filmed at CBC studios in Toronto and Montréal, will be featured on CSHF and CBC/Radio-Canada platforms on a monthly basis.

Bringing the first of the Covered Classics to life is Canadian jazz-pop singer-songwriter, Nikki Yanofsky, and guitarist Dan Kanter. Nikki is best known for her vocals on the theme song for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games on CTV, “I Believe”, and Dan is the musical director and lead guitarist for Justin Bieber. The collaboration between Nikki and Dan is available to view at cshf.ca, cbcmusic.ca and icimusique.ca.

“There is a lot of remarkable talent here in Canada and I am honoured to be recognized for my contributions to our nation’s music history,” said Mark London. “Creating this song was a labour of love and I am thrilled to see young Canadian artists like Nikki Yanofsky bring ‘To Sir With Love’ to life for a new generation.”

“To Sir With Love” is the theme song from the 1967 film of the same name. Starring in this British drama was Sidney Poitier as teacher Mark Thackeray. The film traces his students’ transformation to maturity under his guidance amid social and racial tensions of an inner school in the slums of London’s East End. Pop singer Lulu, who played tough high-school girl Barbara Pegg, sang “To Sir With Love” at the year-end dance as the students’ gift to their teacher. Lulu’s single reigned at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for five weeks in the fall of 1967, and was ultimately the Billboard Year End No. 1 single. It was Canada’s number two record for 1967, beating The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”.

A classic with staying power, “To Sir With Love”, appeared on various Lulu albums and has been covered by musical greats, such as Chaka Khan and Jann Arden. The song has also been featured in numerous television shows and movies, most recently including Glee and Sons of Anarchy.

About the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) honours and celebrates Canadian songwriters and those who have dedicated their lives to the legacy of music, and works to educate the public about these achievements. National and non-profit, the CSHF is guided by its own board of directors who comprise of both Anglophone and Francophone music creators and publishers, as well as representation from the record industry. In December 2011, SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) acquired the CSHF. The Hall of Fame’s mandate aligns with SOCAN’s objectives as a songwriter and publisher membership-based organization.  www.uatcshf.ca

About CBCMusic.ca
CBCMusic.ca  is Canada’s free digital music service connecting Canadians with the very best in Canadian and international music, concerts and features. Simple and easy to navigate, CBCMusic.ca gives music fans access to 50 Web radio stations, 12 distinct genre-based music communities, CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3, plus content from the most knowledgeable music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts, playlists and more.

About ICI Musique.ca
ICIMusique.ca is Radio-Canada’s online music platform. It allows Canadians to stream live radio or download podcasts, with over 150 channels of web radio, albums streaming, special features and music news.

Media Contacts:
Environics Communications (for CSHF): Leanna Rizzi,lrizzi@environicspr.com, 416-969-2824
Capital-Image (for CSHF): Jean-Philippe Guay, jguay@capital-image.com , 514-739-1188 poste 235