This past weekend, a native of Belleville was acknowledged at the 53rd Juno Awards for his contribution to the Canadian music industry.
Chip Sutherland was born and raised in Belleville and attended Harry J. Clarke and Moira before moving on to Trent and then law school at Dalhousie in Halifax. Chip started off wanting to be a musician himself, but was persuaded to go to law school by a teacher of his at Moira. At the start of the 1990s, the music scene in Halifax was huge. Some of his friends were getting signed to record deals, and he was the one helping them with their contracts. At the time, he was practicing litigation, and there were no entertainment lawyers in the area, so he was the obvious choice to fill that role.
The list of clients that Chip has had is quite impressive. Just scratching the top of the list of his clients are Sloan, The Rankins, Ashley McIssaic, Feist, and most recently, the breakthrough artist of the year at Junos, Talk.
Chip also oversaw the development of the Radio Starmaker Fund, which is funded by Canada’s private radio broadcasters. The fund has given out almost $170 million to Canadian musicians and is continuing to do so. Chip is currently in charge of the fund.
He was joined in Halifax by his sisters and his two children, who currently reside in Halifax, to celebrate his win.
Congratulations Chip!