TORONTO — Beloved East Coast singer-songwriter Rita MacNeil is getting her place in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Organizers say they’ll induct the late performer on May 6 during a tribute at the 2021 East Coast Music Awards Show, which is being held on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island.
The induction will include a musical tribute performed by a group of MacNeil’s former bandmates and friends.
Her name will then be added to the hall of fame at the National Music Centre in Calgary.
MacNeil, known as “Cape Breton’s first lady of song,” is among the most iconic performers to rise from Nova Scotia’s music scene to national popularity, a feat she accomplished in her 40s.
Throughout her career she won three Juno Awards, 11 East Coast Music Awards and was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1992.