Musicians from all four Atlantic provinces are converging on Fredericton to play, to hear others play and to honour some of their own as part of a celebration of Atlantic music leading up to this weekend's East Coast Music Awards.

Prince Edward Island singer Lennie Gallant is to perform at the Saturday night 20th anniversary show for the East Coast Music Awards.
(Canadian Press)

Among those who will be honoured are the winners of the Stompin' Tom Awards that go to "unsung heroes" of Atlantic music.

One winner has been chosen from each Atlantic region by a committee of Atlantic Canadian folklorists with the ECMA board. They are:

• Ivan and Vivian Hicks, New Brunswick.
• The Ducats, Newfoundland and Labrador.
• The Tremtones, Prince Edward Island.
• Oakley, mainland Nova Scotia.
• Aldun MacVicar, Cape Breton.

Stompin' Tom Connors conceived of the award in 1993 to honour musicians who have made long-term contributions to the East Coast music industry.

Ivan Hicks played "old-time" fiddle music for 60 years, taught many younger artists and formed fiddle group The Sussex Avenue Fiddlers in the 1970s. His wife Vivian has accompanied him on guitar and piano and the couple have devoted much of their lives to preserving and promoting fiddle music.

The Ducats released the first rock 'n' roll single by a group from Newfoundland and Labrador in the mid-1960s — Hey Women/Stay Awhile. They have remained together, under the leadership of Lewis Skinner, for more than 40 years, playing contemporary and traditional music and making many live appearances in small communities.

The Tremtones, formed in Charlottetown in 1957, are recognized as P.E.I.'s first real rock 'n' roll band. Thirteen local musicians have been part of their evolving lineup and the group has played Top 40 hits throughout Atlantic Canada.

The Oakley Band was formed in Halifax by Ritchie Oakley, with Wayne Nicholson as vocalist and Doug MacKay, Bruce Dixon and John Lee. The hard rockers issued a self-titled album, Oakley, in 1980 and toured with The Doobie Brothers and April Wine.

Aldun MacVicar, was born in Broughton, Cape Breton, in 1927 and moved to Glace Bay in his teens. He formed The Pioneers, who played together in the late '40s and early '50s and later the Royal Scotians, which eventually became The Acadians, a hugely popular band. He died in November 1986 at age 58.

Vibrant musical culture

The annual Stompin' Tom Awards are to be given on Sunday, ahead of the official ECMA awards ceremony.

Steve Horne of the East Coast Music Association said the four-day event is a reflection of Atlantic Canada's vibrant musical culture.

A highlight this weekend will be an anniversary show on Saturday celebrating 20 years of the awards and featuring stars from the past two decades, including fiddler Ashley MacIsaac and singer Lennie Gallant.

The awards will be handed out Sunday night, with Halifax's Joel Plaskett Emergency up for a leading seven awards.