It was a great night to honour and put the spotlight on Canada's country artists. These folks are just as talented as their american counterparts and offer a great deal of entertainment for all of us. It's unfortunate they don't reap the same financial rewards and level of stardom as their peers in the U.S. but over the last twenty five years things have improved. There are many times when I'm travelling in the U.S. and tune in to a local country music station and low and behold, I hear a Canadian artist being played. That was difficult to experience several years back. But, now with the talent of Johnny Reid, Terry Clark, Dean Brody and the list goes on, Americans are finding that Nashville is not the centre of the universe when it comes to the world of country music. Our country artists spend many days on the road and give up so much personally when it comes to family life in order to developed their skills and hone their craft. The Canadian Country Music Awards is a much needed event. It allows all us to sit back and see what great and rich talent we have in Canada. I'm so glad I made a point of attending this year's awards.