Former Helix guitarist pushes for recognition from the Canadian Hall of Fame

An original member of Helix is trying to get the metal rock band inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame but, so far, he hasn’t had any luck.

“Why we're not there is beyond me,” guitarist Brent Doerner told CTV News from the basement of his Kitchener, Ont. home, while showing off Helix’s gold and platinum albums.

Doerner said he made his first request to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame last year. As he wasn’t able to find a direct phone number or email, he could only put it in through an online submission form.

“I explained to them, you know, we've got all these album sales here. We’ve basically sold a million albums. Some of the bands, they only have one gold album. We've got four golds and two platinum albums. What's the problem here?” explained Doerner.

Helix started as a cover band back in the 1970s.

“Then, eventually, we went all original,” Doerner said. “Financed our own first two albums, borrowed money from our parents.”

The band sold 10,000 copies of each of those first two albums before signing with Capital Records in Los Angeles. They then went on to tour in 15 countries.

Doerner has played guitar with Helix on and off for two decades. He remains on good terms with the other musicians, even though the band continues without him, which is why he continues to push for recognition.

“I don't know if it's because it's hard rock or metal. I don't know what the reason is, why we're not getting chosen.”

Doerner stated that hundreds of Helix’s fan have also asked for the band to be inducted and those requests have been ignored.

“I don't think there are any politics involved,” said Alan Cross, a music journalist best known for his series ‘The Ongoing History of New Music.’ “I think it's just a matter of clearing the backlog of all these Canadian artists that need to be recognized. Last fall, there was a big deal at Massey Hall, where I think it was 13 artists from the last almost 50 years were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.”

When asked about the lack of response from the Hall of Fame, Doerner said he felt “left out.”

CTV News made multiple attempts to speak with someone at the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and their governing body, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. No response was received by our deadline.