Durham College professor wins country music association’s Record Producer of the Year award

A professor at Durham College is gaining recognition by taking home some hardware from the Canadian Country Music Association Awards this month.

Teaching hasn’t always been in his blood but music has for Jeff Dalziel.

“I’m a tour baby. Actually, my father played with some pretty famous musicians and so I was born when he was on tour,” said Jeff Dalziel, record producer and songwriter, as well as Durham College music business management professor.

For the past 25 years, Jeff Dalziel has been making all kinds of music.

And in that time, he’s been nominated for numerous awards.

“There’s that saying, ‘If I wanted a trophy, I would have stayed in hockey.’ It’s not why I do it,” said Dalziel.

But this month at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards, the 51-year-old was named record producer of the year for his work on The Washboard Union’s “What We’re Made Of.”

Dalziel is the first to tell you he didn’t expect it.

“Takes a village to raise an idiot and so I’m basically an idiot of the year — there’s lots of people behind that. So, really it was going up on stage, going, ‘Who do I thank? There’s so many people who I think deserve it just as much as I do,” said Dalziel.

While it’s quite the honour, Dalziel feels it’s important to give back and inspire the next generation.

That’s why he has been teaching the business side of music for the last five years at Durham College.

“I’d like to see our industry progress in a healthy manner, so if I can be part of giving them the basic tools they need rather than them having to learn it and still make change, I think that’s going to help all of us as musicians and artists in Canada,” said Dalziel.

His students are soaking up everything their now award-winning professor has to say.

“A lot of times, he can’t tell us everything, like last year, he was like, ‘Well, I can’t tell you exactly who I’m working with but just know big things are coming,” said Tess Goulding, a Durham College student.

“It’s great to know that our professors are experienced in the industry and they have the knowledge,” said Danielle Erker, another Durham College student.

“Our job is to try and get them fired every week so they can learn a lesson from it so they don’t make that mistake in the real world,” said Dalziel.

And it might not be an award he can take home and hold, but Dalziel says he has that winning feeling every time he sees one of his former students putting their stamp on the music industry.