JUNOs give out first awards and July Talk grabs 2

In true Canadian form Juno weekend kicked off with a snowstorm on Friday night. Thankfully if you didn't like that, warmer kinder weather was in store for Saturday and the Juno Gala dinner at Ottawa's Shaw Centre. [caption id="attachment_14624" align="aligncenter" width="700"] July Talk photo by Sean Sisk[/caption] Canadian musicians of all genres descended upon downtown Ottawa Saturday afternoon for the JUNO Awards Gala at the Shaw Centre. [caption id="attachment_19580" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The Strumbellas perform as part of JUNOfest 2017 photo by Scott Martin for Sound Check Entertainment[/caption] A total of 34 JUNOs were given out at this evening's event out of which our friends July Talk won 2, Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip each won for their respective albums, Strumbellas took home single of the year for "Spirits", The Dirty Nil won Breakthrough Group of the Year, The Weeknd took home R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for Starboy and Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan took home the award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year. Full list of winners is as follows: Single of the Year: Spirits - The Strumbellas Internatiomal Album: A Head Full of Dreams - Cold Play Artist of the Year: Leonard Cohen Breakthrough Group: The Dirty Nil Adult Alternative Album: Secret Path - Gord Downie Alternative Album:  Touch - July Talk Rock Album: Man Machine Poem - The Tragically Hip Vocal Jazz Album: Bria - Bria Skonberg Jazz Album - SOLO: Written on the Rocks - Renee Rosnes Jazz Album - GROUP:  Twenty Metalwood Instrumental Album: Bird's Nest - The Fretless Francophone Album of the Year: XO - Laurence Nerbonne Children's Album: I Believe in Little Things - Diana Panton Classical Album of the Year - SOLO or CHAMBER: Brahms: String Quartets, Op. 51 NOS. 1 & 2 - New Orford String Quartet Classical Album - LARGE ENSEMBLE: Going Home Star - Steve Wood and Northern Cree Singers, Tanya Tagaq, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Classical Album - Vocal or Choral: L'Aiglon - Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal, Kent Nagano Classical Composition: Immersion - Jordan Nobles RAP Recording: Hotel Paranoia - Jazz Cartier Dance Recording: Off The Ground ft. Shae Jacobs - Bit Funk R&B/Soul Recording: Starboy - The Weeknd Reggae Recording: Siren - Exco Levi Indigenous Music Album: Tiny Hands - Quantum Tangle Contemporary Roots Album: Earthly Days - William Prince Traditional Roots Album: Secret Victory -The East Pointers Blues Album: Ride The One - Paul Reddick Contemporary Christian/ Gospel Album: Hootenanny! - Tim Neufeld & the Glory Boys World Music: Okavango African Orchestra - Okavango African Orchestra Jack Richardson Producer: A Tribe Called Red - A Tribe Called Red Recording Engineer: Jason Dufour - Push and Pull, Beck + Call, TOUCH - July Talk Recording Package: Jonathan Shedletzky (Art Director), Isis Essery (Designer), Jeff Lamaire (Illustrator) - Secret Path - Gord Downie Video: Kill v Maim - Claire Boucher GRIMES Electronic Album: 99.9% - Kaytranada Metal / Hard Music Album: Coral Throne - Mandroid Echostar Adult Contemporary Album: Wonderland - Sarah McLachlan Walt Grealis Special Achievement: Randy Lenox - President Bell Media (former CEO Universal Music Canada) International Achievement Award: Drake Allan Waters Humanitarian Award: Buffy Ste Marie Stay tuned the Juno Awards Broadcast goes tomorrow night and we'll be there, once again, with full coverage. For nominee information please visit www.junoawards.ca