Legendary Calgary music bar King Eddy wins CCMA country club of the year

The 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMA) awarded the cream of the crop in the genre this weekend in Edmonton, including Calgary’s King Eddy, which won Country Club of the Year.

First opened in 1905 as the King Edward Hotel, it was the longest-operating bar and hotel in the city right up until 2004. It was purchased by the National Music Centre (NMC) in 2008, and was brought to its “1905 glory.”

The King Eddy was presented with the award on Friday at the CCMA Gala.

“Anyone and everyone that runs a live music venue, I accept this award on behalf of you, because running a legacy venue is hard, but it is essential to our ecosystem. So this is for all of you that put the hard work into running live music venues, big and small,” said Andrew Moskar, NMC president and CEO, while accepting the award, which was shared on the King Eddy Instagram page.

“And secondly, I want to thank the staff of King Eddy … there’s many of you in this room going to play this club, and I accept this on behalf of all of you. Keep up the great work and King Eddy will always be there for you.”

The King Eddy reopened in 2018 as a restaurant and bar. CKUA Calgary, the Rolling Stone Mobile Studio, other NMC facilities are in the building.

The King Eddy won CCMA Best Country Club of the Year in 2020.