Canadian blues reached a milestone this week when Steve Marriner captured the Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year on Saturday — and tonight, the brand-new Canadian Blues Music Awards hand out their first-ever trophies in Toronto. Together, these two events mark the most significant week for Canadian blues in recent memory.
The Inaugural CBMA Gala Arrives Tonight
The Canadian Blues Music Awards gala takes over the Phoenix Concert Theatre tonight (March 30), replacing the long-standing Maple Blues Awards with an entirely new national program. However, this isn’t a rebrand. The CBMAs were built from scratch by a governing committee that spent more than a year researching, consulting artists, and developing an independent awards structure designed for transparency and nationwide reach.
Furthermore, the Toronto Blues Society presents the gala but holds no role in governance, nominations, or judging. That separation matters — it gives the awards credibility from day one.
Danny Marks hosts the evening, which features performances from Marriner, Crystal Shawanda, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Brandon Isaak, and Dana Wylie (Secondhand Dreamcar). A house band called “Pass the Envelope,” led by musical director Manny DeGrandis, backs every set. Consequently, the after-party extends the celebration with live sets from nominees Glenn Marais & The Mojo Train, Ollee Owens, JP LeBlanc, and more.
Sixteen Categories, One Lifetime Achievement Award
The CBMAs recognize excellence across 16 categories, spanning Electric and Acoustic Blues Recording of the Year to individual instrument awards for guitar, keyboards, harmonica, horn, bass, and drums. Meanwhile, the Lifetime Achievement nominees represent decades of Canadian blues history: Amos Garrett, Bobby Dean Blackburn, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Russell Jackson, and the late Tim Williams.
Williams, who passed away last November, spent decades moving between country, blues, and Hawaiian styles in Western Canada. He captured Best Solo Act and Best Guitarist at the International Blues Challenge in 2014, and he produced or performed on four Juno-nominated projects throughout his career.
Marriner’s Juno Win Sets the Stage
Steve Marriner arrived at tonight’s gala riding a wave of momentum. On Saturday, he won the Juno for Blues Album of the Year for Hear My Heart (Cordova Bay Records), an album that already hit #1 on the Roots Music Report Canada Album Chart and claimed the top spot as the most-played album of 2025 on The Big Blues Chart for Canada.
Additionally, Marriner earned three CBMA nominations tonight — Electric Blues Recording of the Year, Blues Producer of the Year, and Blues Harmonica Player of the Year. As co-founder of MonkeyJunk, he previously won two Junos and became the first Canadian act to win a Blues Music Award in Memphis. Consequently, his presence at tonight’s gala carries real weight.
Dubbed “The Swiss Army Knife” for his skills on harmonica, guitar, bass, and vocals, Marriner also produced two other albums nominated at the 2025 Junos: David Gogo’s YEAH! and Big Dave McLean’s This Old Life. Both artists appear in tonight’s CBMA nominee list as well.
What This Week Means for Canadian Blues
The timing here matters. Canada has always produced world-class blues musicians — from Colin James to Buddy Guy’s Chicago contemporaries who crossed the border, to Sue Foley carrying the Texas blues torch from Ottawa. Several CBMA nominees would fit right alongside the modern blues artists reshaping the genre today. Nevertheless, the genre has rarely received this level of institutional recognition in one week.
The CBMAs give Canadian blues a dedicated national platform, while Marriner’s Juno win demonstrates the genre’s staying power at the country’s highest music awards. For blues fans north of the border, this week signals that the infrastructure around Canadian blues is finally catching up to the talent.
Results from tonight’s CBMA gala are expected later this evening. Stay tuned for full coverage of the winners.
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