November 19th, 2022 at the 42nd annual Covenant Awards I was honoured by the Gospel Music Association of Canada with a Lifetime Achievement Award. I am humbled and grateful to all those who made this possible and to the many, many people I have encountered on my journey. It is very hard to re-cap one's life in a few short minutes but here are a few thoughts:
To Greg, Jaylene and the board of GMA Canada - thank you very much for this honour.
To the family and friends of Amoy Levy. I am so very sorry for your loss. Amoy will be greatly missed, but her life and legacy will live on through the music she made. May she Rest In Peace.
You have all heard the quote about it taking a village to raise a child? That is my story.
I would like to begin by thanking my parents. Their love of music and the arts set the stage early on for what was to become my career. Mom and Dad sacrificed to provide piano lessons for me starting at an early age. In Jr High they let me have space in their basement both for a small electronics shop and a basic, primitive recording studio. Their belief and confidence in me, set me on a path which would turn into my life's passion. Thank you Mom and Dad!
I had several mentors along the way;
My father in law Doug Kirk who gave me my start in PA and basic studio operation. Doug also taught me to troubleshoot logically which has been a huge help. He also let me marry his daughter which may be my greatest achievement.
Doug was always generous with both his time and his knowledge. He would often quote Don Davis who said, “I met a man with a dollar. We exchanged dollars. We each still had one dollar. Then I met a man with an idea. We exchanged ideas. Now we each have two ideas.”
I have tried to live my life by that mantra.
John Binet Sr who taught me how to edit analog tape with a razor blade and taught me a lot about electronics.
Mark Hollingsworth who took a chance on a 22 year old Canadian kid to road manage and then production manage the biggest rock band in Christian music.
Bob MacKenzie who constantly challenged me to do better, be better and push my artists towards excellence. Bob would often tell me that, "The longer the line of preparation, the greater the possibility of intersecting with the line of opportunity."
This has been 100% true in my life.
I would like to give special mention to three former colleagues, Harold Wiens, Ray Kirk and Eldon Winter. We certainly had some adventures along the way - thank you to each one of you!
To the hundreds of musicians, artists, songwriters and technicians who I have worked with over the years, I thank each of you for contributing to my life and I trust that I brought some light to your journey as well.
Lastly, I would like to thank my wife Cathy, our children Christy, Rob and Jon for always supporting me and being there through the ups and downs.
As you all know the path of a creative is not always an easy one and their support over the many years has given my life stability and purpose.
I leave you with this quote from Ludwig van Beethoven “Music can change the world.”
I truly believe that!
Thank you!
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