The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) presented a star-studded 2010 gala induction ceremony March 28 at the George Weston Recital Hall in the Toronto Centre for the Arts, honouring 11 songwriters, 16 songs and two Legacy Award recipients. The event was recorded and broadcast nationally the following day on CBC Radio 2’s Canada Live.

On hand were the 2010 CSHF Modern Era inductees: the members of the legendary prog-rock outfit RUSH (Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart), who were celbreated along with five of their songs, and hugely influential Quebec rocker Robert Charlebois, who was also recognized for five of his songs. As well, six classic Canadian songs from various eras were inducted at this year’s gala: two from the Pioneer Era, two from the Radio Era and two from the Modern Era.

Robert Charlebois was also a Modern Era inductee to the Hall of Fame. (Photo: Grant W. Martin Photography)

The evening included many performances of the inducted songs, by artists ranging from multi-instrumentalist DJ Champion, to YouTube sensation Jacob Moon, to Lily Frost and Sean Cullen, to Mara Tremblay, to Charlebois himself (who was at the piano in an abridged version of his 1969 hit “Ordinaire”). The night wrapped up with an electrifying performance by Alexisonfire of RUSH’s rock classic “Tom Sawyer.”

SOCAN is a core-funding partner of the CSHF and sponsor of the Modern Era inductees, while the SOCAN Foundation is a silver sponsor of the organization. For complete lists of inductees from this year and previous years, visit www.cansong.ca.