| Juno Awards of 1981 | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 February 1981 |
| Venue | O'Keefe Centre, Toronto, Ontario |
| Hosted by | Multiple (see article) |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | CBC |
The Juno Awards of 1981, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 5 February 1981 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by multiple co-presenters at the O'Keefe Centre. The first co-hosts were Andrea Martin and John Candy of SCTV fame, then Frank Mills and Ginette Reno, and finally Ronnie Hawkins and Carroll Baker.[1]
Ceremonies were broadcast nationally on CBC Television from 7pm Eastern Time. More capacity was now available at the O'Keefe Centre and tickets were made available to the public at $15 each. The television show was seen by an estimated 1,880,000 viewers .[2]
Juno awards organiser CARAS announced the major nominees 6 January 1981, with additional nominees in classical, jazz and album graphics announced 20 January 1981.[3][4]
The Emeralds, previously nominated four times for the Country Group award, were not nominated this year. Controversy ensued when a committee declared to CARAS that the band was a polka band that should not be nominated in a country category. A reported attempt to file their nomination in a folk category was rejected due to a relative lack of sales. The Emeralds then looked to the courts to stop CARAS from issuing ballots that omitted their group. The group's legal challenge was unsuccessful, but the settlement required the Juno awards to mention the band and its previous nominations during the broadcast.[5][6]
Performers during the broadcast included Frank Mills on piano with Ginette Reno singing "The Poet and I", Ronnie Hawkins and Carrol Baker singing "Hey, Bo Diddley", Graham Shaw singing his hit "Can I Come Near", and single songs each from Diane Tell, Shari Ulrich and the Powder Blues Band.[7]
Although she received four awards, Anne Murray was once again absent from this year's show.[8] Joni Mitchell's entry into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame was introduced by then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. During her acceptance speech, Mitchell quipped that she felt like hockey star Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion for receiving this honour.[9]
The "Single of the Year" award was a tie between Anne Murray and Martha and the Muffins, and is the only time a tie for this award has occurred in the history of the Juno's.