Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Inductees

The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame has announced  two new inductees for 2013. Rita MacNeil will be inducted in the Artist category, and Ed Harris has been chosen as the 2013 inductee in the Builder category.

MacNeil was one of Canada's most beloved country performers over the course of her three-decade career. She crossed over to mainstream success in 1990, becoming the best-selling country artist of the year in Canada. She released a total of 24 albums, eight of which were certified Platinum. She was a member of the Order of Canada. MacNeil passed away in April of 2013.

Ed Harris is the president of High Note Marketing, which he started in 1999. He began his career at Universal Music Canada in 1986 as a marketing manager, overseeing campaigns for some of country's biggest stars. Harris has served on the CCMA Board of Directors and the Alberta Recording Industry Association, and is a key entertainment consultant for the Calgary Stampede. He has twice been named the CCMA Record Industry Person of the Year.

“Both Ms. MacNeil and Mr. Harris have made huge imprints on country music in Canada and we are delighted to have them enter the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame,” CCMA President Don Green says in a press release. “I would like to thank our Hall of Fame Electors Committee for recognizing these two outstanding industry leaders.”

The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at a private industry event held during Country Music Week, which runs from Sept. 5-8 in Edmonton, Alberta.