Arends Wins Two Song of the Year Awards
The 2022 Covenant Awards were held Saturday, November 19th - and Carolyn took home two song of the year awards! Here are transcripts of her full acceptance speeches:
For Adult Contemporary Song of the Year: TO CRY FOR YOU
Thank you to Kristin Wilkinson and the Love Sponge Strings for finding a way to turn the ache of love-soaked grief into string parts. (I still can't listen to the violin line in the bridge without choking up.)
Thank you to Beth Arends for contributing the exactly-right harmony vocal. (You know Grandma would have loved it SO MUCH.)
Thank you to Roy Salmond, Richie Biggs, and Greg Reely for handling the music with such care.
Thank you to Spencer Capier for that afternoon at your house when you said: "What if you tried this one on piano instead of guitar?"
Thank you to The Rabbit Room and Hutchmoot 2019 for giving me a safe place to sing this song for the first time when I wasn't sure if it should ever be shared in public.
Thank you to The Arctic for telling the story on video with such gentleness and heart.
Thank you to Jordan Robertson for teaching me that it is an honour to cry for someone you love and miss.
Thank you to the hundreds of people who have reached out with your own stories of loss. You are doing the hard and holy work of learning to grieve well, and I am grateful to know you.
Thank you to my mom, Joy Jonat. It will always be my honour to cry for her. And to laugh for her. And to sing for her. Until we meet again.
For Folk Song of the Year: WITHOUT MUSIC
Thanks to Amy Grant for her unbelievably generous spirit and gorgeous duet vocal. (And to Jennifer Cooke, Russ Long, Rick Colhoun, Matt Rausch, and Jenny Gill for helping to make the connection happen.)
Thanks to the creative geniuses on this track and video: Roy Salmond, Spencer Capier, Miles Hill, Randall Stoll, Richie Biggs, Greg Reely, The Arctic.
Thanks to all the friends and listeners who believed in the power of music enough to back the RECOGNITION project and bring it into being. Extra special thanks to Justine Olawsky for All The Things.
Thanks to my family (Mark, Ben, and Beth) for (a) putting up with a spacey musician wife/mom (sorry about all the burnt grilled cheese sandwiches) and (b) giving me so much to sing about.
Thanks to all the volunteers who keep GMA Canada running and help amplify Canadian voices.
And finally, thanks to God for thinking up music. Definitely one of Your best ideas. ❤️