The Canadian Country Music Association® (CCMA®) is pleased to announce that Murray McLauchlan and Paul Mascioli have been selected as the 2016 inductees into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame™.
“On behalf of the CCMA, its membership and the Electors Committee who selected this year’s distinguished inductees, congratulations to both Murray McLauchlan and Paul Mascioli,” said Don Green, President of the Canadian Country Music Association. “A music creator and a business innovator, both of these gentlemen have exemplified the dedication, tenacity and passion needed to succeed in this genre, and have likewise helped this genre to succeed. We are honoured that they will be added to our esteemed list of Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame inductees”.
Murray McLauchlan first began writing and performing songs as a teenager in Toronto. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, he played major festivals of the time, such as the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Mariposa Folk Festival, then expanded into the club circuit and played such well known rooms as The Riverboat in Toronto, The Bitter End in New York and the famous Earl of Old Town in Chicago, among others. Before he had even recorded an album of his own, his early work was recorded and performed by some of the biggest names of the era.
Now, over 30 years later, McLauchlan has eighteen albums to his credit on both True North Records and Capitol Records in the genres of not only country, but also folk, pop and adult contemporary. His songs continue to be covered by notable artists, and are even featured in high school text books. He has played, both solo and with bands, in every major hall in Canada, from Massey Hall in Toronto, to the Orpheum in Vancouver and beyond.
Murray McLauchlan is the recipient of eleven JUNO Awards and a handful of RPM Awards (the original CCMA Award), among other music accolades. He’s hosted several radio programs, most notably the top-rated CBC show, Swinging on a Star, and has been a part of numerous television specials, including Floating Over Canada, where he piloted a float plane across the northern tundra for CBC-TV and PBS. In 1993 McLauchlan was appointed to the Order of Canada and in 1998 his memoir, “Getting Out of Here Alive”, was released. McLauchlan is currently a member of the band, Lunch At Allen’s, who have released four albums to-date and are currently selling out theatres across Canada. He also sits on the Board for the Room 217 Foundation.
“I would sincerely like to thank the Electors Committee, all the folks at the CCMA, those wonderful independent-minded stations that gave my first records a break and especially all the people who have taken my music into their hearts and made it a part of their lives,” shared Murray McLauchlan of his honour. “I’ve had a lot of help from a lot of good people and being inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame will hopefully serve to recognize their contribution as well”.
Paul Mascioli is the founder and President of Mascioli Entertainment Corporation. He started his venture in Victoria, British Columbia in 1969 as Prestige Entertainment Agencies Ltd.; eventually moving the offices to Vancouver and then to Nashville, Tennessee in 1991, when the company’s name was changed to Mascioli Entertainment Corporation – a full service entertainment company offering artist management and booking for conventions, casinos, arenas, theatres, nightclubs, fairs, festivals and special events.
In 1993, with the addition of two publishing companies – Giovellino Music (ASCAP) and Mascioli Music, Inc. (BMI) – Mascioli developed and implemented leadership and business strategies that were instrumental in building the company into a successful, international enterprise. Mascioli’s son, Mike, joined the Nashville operation in 1996, and together they moved the office to Orlando, Florida, where Mascioli continued his active role as an artist manager for Mascioli Entertainment, in addition to joining T. Skorman Productions Inc., serving as Senior Vice President until January 2003. Today, Mascioli continues to lead his team and their world-wide talent negotiations, booking national acts for a variety of clients in the realms of artist management, concert promotions and event productions.
Paul Mascioli was an advisor to the CCMA Board of Directors from 1983-1985, a Director from 1985-1986, and was selected to serve as Co-Chairman of Country Music Week in 1987, where his leadership efforts led to the Canadian country music industry’s first nationally televised and live awards show on the CTV Network. In 1986, Mascioli won the CCMA Award for Booking Agency of the Year. He continued his work with the CCMA as President of the association from 1986-1990.
“The CCMA Hall of Fame and its predecessor, the Hall of Honour, have always been near and dear to me as I participated in its early organization and have seen so many of our country music luminaries become members. I am truly humbled to be the newest recipient of this honour,” said Paul Mascioli of his induction.
Inductees of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame are chosen annually by a selected Hall of Fame Electors Committee, comprised of over seventy (70) industry peers. The three-stage voting process begins in January of each year. The inductee in the Builder category receives the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Stan Klees Builder Award, established in recognition of RPM Magazine co-founder, Mr. Stan Klees, and his pioneering efforts in the creation of the CCMA Awards Program.
The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at a private industry event held during Country Music Week, in London, Ontario from September 8 – 11.
