Each year the MusicNL Board of Directors present a number of Honorary Awards that acknowledge special achievement in the province’s music industry.

This year the “Denis Parker Industry Builder Award” goes to two pioneer recording studios in the province: 

Jack Winsor’s Echo Music and Recording Studio in St. John’s and Clode Sound Productions in Stephenville. 

Echo Music and Recording Studio
Established in the early 1960’s as a small radio and tv repair business on Long’s Hill in St. John’s, Jack Winsor pursued his passion for electronics and music and by the mid 70’s he and his wife Helen grew that small repair business into one of city’s largest music stores with a commercial recording studio on the top floor. From that studio came an outpouring of landmark recordings from legendary Newfoundland and Labrador performers, including the seminal “Towards The Sunset”, by Pat and Joe Byrne and Baxter Wareham, records by Gordon Quinton, The Gospelettes, Peter Narvaez, Rufus Guinchard, Jim Payne, The Sons of Erin, Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers, Roger Howse, and hundreds of radio commercials and tv soundtracks.

Clode Sound Productions
In the mid-1970’s, the cultural reawakening in the province brought an explosion of arts and a renaissance in local music. Newfoundland’s legendary guitarist Neil Bishop said “it had long been a dream of his to open a recording studio”.  To that end he moved to Stephenville in 1975 to work with JML Electronics, a tv repair shop that wanted to get more into the music business. Twin brothers Max and Larry Toms were the two electronic wizards behind the business and, along with Neil, fellow musician Claude Caines and Claude House formed Clode Sound Productions. They began work on constructing a recording studio in a building on the former Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville – and by the late 70’s it was the hippest place on the island to record music.

Clode Sound Productions and its label “Quay Records” can boast an impressive roster of Newfoundland And Labrador recordings including TNT, Simani’s classic, “Saltwater Cowboys”, the first Wonderful Grand Band album, records by Harry Martin, Emile Benoit, Minnie White, Shirley Montague, Corey and Trina, A. Frank Willis and many of Kelly Russell’s early Pigeon Inlet Recordings.

The Denis Parker Industry Builder Honorary Awards will be presented Sunday, February 7th at 2 pm as part of the MusicNL’s 2020 Industry Awards presentation and can be seen on MusicNL’s YouTube channel.

All MusicNL awards, workshops and events during MusicNL Week, Feb 1-7, are streamed on the MusicNL YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Participation in MusicNL Week activities is free. Full details can be found on MusicNL’s website: musicnl.ca