Two Cape Breton music industry greats to be honoured at 2024 ECMAs
SYDNEY — The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is set to honour two well-known Cape Breton music industry members, Bruce Guthro and Stephen Muise, next month at the annual awards ceremony in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Bruce Guthro, who passed away last September, will posthumously receive the Director's Special Achievement Award.
Guthro was a beacon of musical talent and dedication in Cape Breton and around the globe. Born and raised in Sydney Mines, Guthro's musical journey took him from local pubs to international stages, performing to sold-out crowds in Canada and Europe.
Guthro's nine East Coast Music Awards, three Canadian Radio Music Awards, a SOCAN No. 1 Songwriter Award, a CBC Gemini award for hosting 'Songwriter's Circle,' and gold-certified records in Canada and Denmark are proof of the mark he left on the music world, locally and around the world.
Not just a solo artist, Guthro's 20-year tenure as the lead singer of the Scottish Celtic Rock band Runrig, along with regular collaborations and production work with artists from Cape Breton and across Canada, demonstrated his ability to bring his singer-songwriter style to any setting.
Stephen Muise, another Cape Breton native, will be one of five winners of the Stompin' Tom Award, given to individuals who have made long-term contributions to the music industry and who pave the way for musicians in their region.
Currently serving as the musical director and conductor for the Cape Breton choir The Men of The Deeps, where Muise often collaborated with fellow honouree Guthro, and as a full-time music educator at Breton Education Centre in New Waterford, Muise has been a pivotal figure in the Cape Breton Music community, contributing over two decades to music education and performance in the region.
The Director's Special Achievement Award will be presented live on stage at the 2024 East Coast Music Awards on May 2 at 8 p.m. The Stompin' Tom Awards will be presented during the East Coast Music Awards: Part II on May 5 at 11 a.m.
The other ECMA 2024 Honourary Award recipients include Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award winner Denis Parker of Newfoundland and Labrador, Musician's Achievement Award honouree Deryl Gallant and Bucky Adams Memorial Award winner Scott Parsons of P.E.I., Industry Builder Award winner John Poirier of Nova Scotia, and Stompin' Tom Award recipients Pamela Morgan (NL), Ian Alistair Gosbee (N.S.), Zachary Atkinson (N.B.), and Kerri Wynne Macleod (P.E.I.).
Mitchell Ferguson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Cape Breton Post
