TORONTO - Rock band Nickelback, country artist Ray Griff, folk musician Ron Hynes and the late Oscar Peterson were among those honoured Monday night by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada at its 19th annual awards gala.
  
The awards are about recognizing and celebrating Canadian success stories, said SOCAN chief executive Andre LeBel, and the artists in attendance agreed the country's music scene has never been stronger.

"People are far more aware of Canadian music around the world than they were when we starting touring Europe and the United States 12 years ago," said John Samson, singer for the Weakerthans, who performed at the ceremony.

"It's come a long way."

Rocker Tom Cochrane said it hasn't always been cool to be a Canadian artist, but musical forefathers like Gordon Lightfoot -- who turned 70 Tuesday -- have built Canada's reputation to the point that it now garners global recognition.

"There's a lot for us to celebrate collectively as Canadians, as well as artists and writers," said Cochrane, who was recognized by SOCAN for writing one of the most played country songs of 2007.

"Life Is A Highway," a massive international hit around the world in the early 1990s, was resurrected last year in a popular cover version by country act Rascal Flatts.

Cochrane said he's always made a point of identifying himself as a Canadian, writing about his country and embracing his roots.

"I'm (proud) to address that in my music and culturally contribute to the landscape of the country."

For the second year in a row, SOCAN awarded Nickelback an international achievement award for helping to put Canada's music industry on the map.

Griff received a lifetime achievement award for outstanding success throughout his musical career, and Hynes got a national achievement award recognizing his success within Canada.

Peterson was honoured with a special achievement award for his immeasurable contributions to the Canadian music industry. The jazz legend died last year at the age of 82.

Awards were also given out for the songs that got the most play on Canadian radio in 2007.

In the pop music category, Avril Lavigne was recognized three times for her songs "Girlfriend," "Keep Holding On" and "When You're Gone," while Nelly Furtado had two songs make the list -- "All Good Things Come to an End" and "Say It Right."

"Everything" by Michael Buble, "Wonderful" by Chantal Kreviazuk, "Love You Lately" by Daniel Powter and "The Music" by David Usher were the other top pop songs.

"Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven was the top rock song in 2007 and "Sunday Morning" by k-os was the top urban music song.

"Life Is a Highway," "Pickup Truck" by Shane Yellowbird and "Cheaper to Keep Her" by Aaron Lines were honoured for being the most played country songs in 2007.

The society also recognized songs that have been played 100,000 times on Canadian radio, including six by the Barenaked Ladies: "Falling for the First Time," "It's All Been Done," "Jane," "If I Had a Million Dollars," "Pinch Me" and "One Week."

Amanda Marshall's "Believe in You," "Everybody's Got a Story," "Love Lift Me" and "Sitting on Top of the World" recently passed the milestone, as did Leonard Cohen's "Ain't No Cure," "First We Take Manhattan" and "Suzanne."

Men Without Hats had two songs on the list, "Pop Goes the World" and "Safety Dance," while Bachman Turner Overdrive registered "Blue Collar" and "Roll on Down the Highway" and Dan Hill added "Carmelia" and "Never Thought."

"She's So High" by Tal Bachman, "Constant Craving" by k.d. lang, "Dream Come True" by Frozen Ghost, "When I'm With You" by Sheriff, "Superman's Song" by Crash Test Dummies and "I Do (Cherish You)" by 98 Degrees also made the list.

Bachman, whose father is BTO co-founder Randy Bachman, said he was humbled by being in the same company as so many musical legends and thrilled about having written a song with enduring appeal.

"It sort of makes me reflect about the day I wrote that song -- I feel pretty fortunate," Bachman said. It can take a lot of luck for even the best songs to ever get played, he added.

"Just because you write it, it doesn't mean anybody is necessarily going to hear it," he said, a truism echoed by several artists at the awards.

"For me it's like lightning striking that I don't have (to have) a job at Starbucks to pay the bills," Kreviazuk said.

"You can be the hardest working person in show business, you can be the most talented person in the world ... but that doesn't mean (you'll) make a dime."

SOCAN will recognize francophone music creators and publishers at an awards gala in Montreal on Nov. 25.