The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is very pleased to be honouring one of its own today as it announces Ross Reynolds as the 2010 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award recipient. For more than four decades, Reynolds has been a major player in the music industry, notably as a founding board member of CARAS and long-time Universal Music Canada President and Chairman.

"On behalf of the CARAS board, we are so proud to see our friend and colleague honoured in this capacity and recognized for his tremendous contributions to the Canadian music industry," said Melanie Berry, President of CARAS. "Not only has he been instrumental in helping to steer CARAS to where it is today, Ross Reynolds has wholeheartedly dedicated his career toward fostering Canadian talent on a variety of levels."

"Receiving this award is the result of me having the extraordinary good fortune of timing and being supported by wonderful people, particularly my wife, Jane," said Ross Reynolds. "Nevertheless I'm thrilled to be honoured. It's an exciting ride."

Reynolds is a respected music industry veteran who once held the position of President at GRT Records for 10 years (from the label's inception in 1969), where he signed such Canadian artists as Dan Hill, Dr. Music, Ian Thomas, Lighthouse and Moe Koffman. His resume also includes five years as Executive VP in Canada for WEA (now Warner Music Canada).

He is perhaps best known for his long and outstanding tenure as President then Chairman of Universal Music Canada (formerly MCA) for nearly two decades from 1983 to 2001, during which he oversaw the development of a Canadian roster that included soon-to-be global stars such as The Tragically Hip. Under his leadership, Universal Music Canada experienced exponential growth to achieve a market share of approximately one-third. Today it is still considered one of Canada's most influential music companies. In 2001, Reynolds moved to the position of Chairman Emeritus where he was responsible for administering Universal's multi-million dollar commitment to the support of Canadian culture, which came as a result of the Universal/Polygram merger.

Reynolds' involvement with CARAS dates back to 1975, initially as one of the organization's founding directors. Years later in 2001, he was elected by his peers to the full-time position of Chairman, and immediately made an impact by expanding the focus of the JUNO Awards and setting out to create a brand that Canadians from coast to coast could be proud of. He was instrumental in taking Canada's Music Awards show "on the road" for the first time to St. John's, NL, in addition to growing the singular celebration into a full weekend of events that showcases the successes of Canadian music. In 2006, Stephen Stohn succeeded Reynolds as Chairman of CARAS.

His experience and expertise in the music industry has him currently acting as an advisory board member for the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame; MusiCounts, Canada's music education charity associated with CARAS; in addition to serving on the board of St. Lazarus Hospice. Reynolds is also a past Chairman of the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) and has served on the boards of the Starlight Children's Foundation, Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, The Audio Visual Preservation Trust Fund, and Canada's Walk of Fame.

Introduction

This prestigious award ­ named after Walt Grealis in recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments, recognizes individuals who have contributed to the growth and development of the Canadian music industry.

Big or small, Walt was a champion of Canadian artists. He was instrumental in cultivating Canada's music industry as we know it today.

"Walt Grealis dedicated his life to creating the Canadian music explosion...the sound heard 'round the world," said long-time friend and business partner Stan Klees. "His goal was to open the door for all artists and build a star system in Canada."

Affectionately known as 'Canada's Music Man', Grealis was a leading figure in the Canadian recording industry. In the early 1960's when American acts dominated the Canadian radio waves and Canadian talent was turning to the South, Walter recognized the need to promote Canada's own 'star system'. In 1964, Grealis pioneered Canada's first national recording industry trade publication, RPM Magazine. Grealis used the magazine as a vehicle to promote Canadian acts to radio stations and the record business. RPM Magazine also charted a new course for developing the Canadian music industry by connecting key industry figures across the country. RPM Magazine was published for almost 40 years with the last issue in 2000.

Walter Grealis was also a key figure in establishing today's Juno Awards. In 1964, he and business partner Stan Klees created RPM Magazine's Gold Leaf Awards, which started out as simply a readers' poll of favourite artists. By the mid-1970s the awards evolved into a broadcast ceremony that took Canadian talent to the national stage. In 1970, Gold Leaf was substituted for the nickname 'Juno' after the then CRTC chairman Pierre Juneau. The Juno Awards have been a fixture in the Canadian music industry ever since.

More recently, Grealis was made an Officer in the Order of Canada, the second highest honour that can be bestowed on a Canadian. He received the distinction in 1993.

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Following is a complete list of past recipients

WALTER GREALIS O.C (1929 - 2004) - Biography
Walt Grealis was born in Toronto on February 18th, 1929. His father was a fire captain and the family was a mixture of Irish, Spanish and Cree. Walt attended Central Commerce High School in Toronto and dropped out after grade ten to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In 1952, he joined the Toronto City Police.

In 1957, Walt became the Social Host and Sports Director for the St. George Hotel in Bermuda. This was followed by a stint with the O'Keefe and Labatt's breweries. In 1960, Walt entered the record business in a promotions role. Walt began with Apex Records and later moved to London Records.

The move that would shape Walt's influence on the Canadian music industry was his decision to start a small weekly tip sheet (confidential newsletter) designed for record companies and radio stations -- this was RPM Magazine. One of the first things the magazine did was to launch a music poll to pick top Canadian recording artists. The music poll was a precursor to the JUNO Awards as we know them today. They went on to become an award presentation in 1970 and the awards were nicknamed The Juno Awards after then Chairman of the CRTC, Pierre Juneau.

In 1964 when Walt formed RPM Magazine there was very little recording done in Canada and radio stations played very little Canadian content or Cancon. The mandate of the magazine became Cancon and Walt campaigned to bring about Canadian content on radio. Walt's efforts led to the 1970 CRTC ruling that radio stations must incorporate 30% Canadian content into their programming.

RPM Magazine also adopted the MAPL symbol to identify Canadian content on records created by Stan Klees. This was a milestone in developing the Cancon industry and the symbol is still used today to identify Canadian content.

For his efforts in establishing the JUNO Awards, the Canadian charts and the MAPL logo, Walt was named an Officer in the Order of Canada in 1976, the second highest award that can be bestowed on a Canadian. In 1984,The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), organizers of the JUNO Awards, established the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award to honour Walt's accomplishments. The annual award is given to an individual who has contributed to the advancement of the Canadian music industry.

In November of 2000, Walt Grealis closed the doors of RPM Magazine after 37 years of weekly publication, including over 7000 charts and countless stories on the music industry in Canada.

On January 20th, 2004 Walt passed away peacefully after secretly fighting lung cancer for three years. He never smoked. He said near the end, "I've lived a good life. What I did for a living, most people would like to do for fun."

Walt Grealis fuelled the beginning of the Canadian music explosion. Affectionately known as Canada's 'Music Man' Walt was indeed a hero to Canadian recording artists.