NASHVILLE – The Country Music Association presented 22-time Canadian Country Music Award winner Gord Bamford and renowned Canadian radio show host Paul McGuire with CMA International Achievement Awards Saturday during the CCMA Gala Dinner and Awards in London, Ontario.
Bamford received the Jeff Walker Global Artist Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements by a Country Music artist originally signed outside of the United States in both furthering the popularity of Country Music and bringing attention to the Country Music format in their foreign-based territory.
“I am truly honored and humbled to receive the CMA Jeff Walker Global Artist Award,” said Bamford. “To be recognized by CMA for a second time is a highlight in my career and something I am very proud of. Jeff Walker was a dear friend and one of the first people to warmly welcome me to Nashville, so to win this Award in the first year it has been named in Jeff’s honor is extremely emotional and extra special. This Award will be proudly displayed in our Nashville home. A heartfelt thank you to CMA.”
McGuire was presented with the International Country Broadcaster Award, recognizing outstanding achievement by radio broadcasters outside the U.S. who have made important contributions to the development of Country Music in their country.
“I felt immediately welcomed and embraced by the Country Music community the first time I traveled to Nashville 10 years ago,” remarked McGuire. “To be recognized by CMA, the gatekeepers of the genre that I love and respect so much, is a true and humbling honor that I will carry with me forever. And the fact that a kid born in Edinburgh, Scotland and raised in Toronto, Canada can win a CMA Award is proof that Country Music knows no borders.”
“The CCMA Gala Awards event was a wonderful forum to present two prestigious CMA Awards to our very deserving Canadian recipients. These Awards from CMA are a vital and symbolic tribute to the hard work and dedication applied by these individuals as they go above and beyond in the interest of propagating the Country Music format around the globe,” said Ted Ellis, Harbour Media Partners President, CMA Board member, and CCMA Chairman.
CMA International Achievement Awards are voted on by CMA International Membership as well as a panel of domestic U.S.-based industry. Winners were announced earlier this year.
Through various initiatives including these Awards and other special events including the international expansion of the CMA Songwriters Series (Belfast, Dublin, London, Paris) and involvement in the popular C2C concerts since 2013, CMA seeks to recognize and empower its global membership and Country Music fans around the world.
For more information, visit and CMAworld.com.
