The GMA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award is handed out annually by

GMA Canada The Gospel Music Association of Canada or GMA Canada (formerly known as the CGMA) is a not for profit association, founded in 1974, whose purpose is to promote Christian music in Canada. History GMA Canada is created in 1974 in Ontario with ...

(the Gospel Music Association of Canada). This annual award recognizes the achievements of artists and industry experts who have made the greatest contribution to further the Canadian

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

scene. It is presented during GMA Canada Week, during which the annual

Covenant Awards The Covenant Awards are awarded to the Canadian gospel music industry by GMA Canada, the Gospel Music Association of Canada. The association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the growth and ministry of Christian music in C ...

are handed out. Past winners have included Connie Scott (2006),

Tommy Hunter Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman". Career In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, '' Country Hoedown''. ''T ...

(2005) and

George Beverly Shea George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer"Michael Ireland, "America's 'Beloved Gospel Singer,' George Bever ...

(2004). The Lifetime Achievement Award has been given to both artists and industry leaders (Gerry Scott/Arlen Salte). In 2011 GMA Canada honored hard rock trail blazers

Daniel Band Daniel Band is a Canadian Christian metal group formed in 1979 in Toronto. They played in the contemporary Christian music industry with a sound that ranged from hard rock to heavy metal. History The group originated in 1979 in suburban Tor ...

. GMA Canada is a not for profit organization whose mission is to promote the growth and ministry of Christian music arts in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. GMA Canada works to raise the profile and interaction of Christian artists, songwriters, producers, promoters and others working in Christian music with media, retailers, distributors and church leadership. GMA Canada is committed to nurturing and developing its members through educational programs as well as celebrating outstanding achievements and standards of excellence in all areas and genres of Canadian Gospel music. In 2012, GMA Canada honoured the

Toronto Mass Choir Toronto Mass Choir is a Canadian gospel music group that incorporates contemporary gospel, traditional gospel as well as Caribbean music influences; founded in 1988. Seeds of this gospel choir were sown during the choir’s initial live recording ...

at ceremonies held November 7 in

Burlington, Ontario Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the northwestern end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Along with Milton to the north, it forms the western end of the Greater Toronto Area and is also part of the Hamilton met ...

Winners

* Previous: The Torchmen Quartet, The Goodberry Sisters, Janet Sonnenberg, The Pavey's * 2004

* 2005

* 2006 Connie Scott * 2007

Hokus Pick Hokus Pick (or Hokus Pick ) was a Christian rock band that was together from 1989 to 1999.Rhythm & News Rhythm & News was a Christian a cappella vocal group formed in the late 1980s in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During the 1990s, the group gained success in Canada and parts of the United States in the gospel music industry. Their a capp ...

* 2009 Gerry Scott * 2010 Arlen Salte * 2011

* 2012

* 2013 Industry - Lando Klassen * 2013 Artist -

Servant (band) Servant was a Christian rock group that grew out of the counter-culture Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies. The band was founded in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976 by Jim Palosaari and performed to audiences throughout North America ...

* 2014

Brian Doerksen Brian Robert Doerksen is a Canadian Contemporary Christian music, Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader from Abbotsford, British Columbia. Early life Doerksen was a member at a local Mennonite Brethren church in British Columbia and gr ...

* 2015 Roy Salmond * 2017 Industry - Martin Smith * 2017 Artist - Chris Janz * 2018 Industry - Dave Zeglimski * 2018 Artist - Steve Bell 2004 -

. GMA Canada recognized the efforts of George Beverly Shea who was born in Winchester, Ontario February 1, 1909. His long association with the Billy Graham Crusades and his more than 70 albums led to his being referred to as "America's Beloved Gospel Singer". According to the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

Shea holds the world record for singing in person to the most people ever, with an estimated cumulative live audience of 220 million people. In 1932 Shea composed the tune to "I'd Rather Have Jesus," with words written by Rhea F. Miller (1894–1966). Shea was unable to attend the GMA Canada Covenant Awards ceremony in person, but sent his thanks via video link. 2005 -

was recognized by GMA Canada in 2005. Hunter was born in London, Ontario, March 20, 1937. "The Tommy Hunter Show" began as a CBC radio program in 1960 and went on to replace Country Hoedown on CBC television in 1965; Hunter's show was picked up by TNN in 1983 and ran on CBC Television until 1992. One of the regular features of the program included Hunter's inspirational and Gospel songs at the close of each show. He also released two Gospel albums "Songs Of Inspiration" and "Readings" which featured the fan favourites "Touch Of The Master's Hand" and "No Charge". Tommy Hunter was inducted into the

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian country music artists, builders or broadcasters, living or deceased. The artifact collection includes extensive biographical information on the inductees. It is located in downtown Merritt, ...

in 1984. In 1986, Hunter was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He has received three Canadian Juno Awards and one Gemini Award. In 1990, he was given a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame's "Walkway of Stars". A street ("Tommy Hunter Way") was also renamed in his honour in his hometown of London, Ontario, in the late 1990s. He became a member of the Order of Ontario in 1996 2006 - Connie Scott was recognized by GMA Canada in 2006. Scott grew up around Gospel Music. Her father, Gerry Scott was both an early radio show host playing Gospel Music and the owner of Canada's largest distributor of Christian Music at the time, Word Records Canada. Connie Scott first recorded with her sister but was later signed to

Sparrow Records Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group. History Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by Thorn EMI in ...

, where she released her debut album "Heartbeat" in 1983. She followed her initial success with a string of albums through the 1980s and into the 1990s including "Spirit Mover", "Hold On" and "Forever Young". She was one of the first Contemporary Christian artists of the era to record a concept music video and toured with many of the successful artists of the era including

Steve Camp Steven J. Camp (born April 13, 1955) is an American contemporary Christian music artist and pastor. In the tradition of Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses, Camp sent out his own 107 theses on Reformation Day (October 31), 1998, calling for a re ...

David Meece David Meece (born May 26, 1952) is an American contemporary Christian musician who enjoyed success in the mid-1980s, and into the early 2010s, with more than thirty Top 10 hits including several No. 1 songs. In November 2012, Meece was given a ...

and

Roby Duke Roby Duke (December 6, 1956 – December 26, 2007) was a contemporary Christian musician and songwriter from Greenwood, Mississippi. He was noted for his blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of ...

External links

Official GMA Canada Page
{{clr Gospel music awards Lifetime achievement awards