The Juno Awards of 1985, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 4 November 1985 in Toronto. The ceremony was hosted by Andrea Martin and Martin Short at the Harbour Castle Hilton Hotel.
New categories for R&B/Soul and Reggae/Calypso were introduced this year. Nominations in secondary categories (children's, video, producer, recording engineer, classical and jazz) were announced 27 September 1985.
The ceremonies were broadcast nationally on CBC Television from 7pm Eastern Time. These included performances by Liberty Silver, Kim Mitchell and a duet of Tina Turner and Bryan Adams. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was also in attendance.
Earlier in 1985, most major Canadian music artists joined each other to create the benefit single "Tears Are Not Enough". It was not represented among the year's Juno nominations although it demonstrated strength in the Canadian music industry.
This marked the first year that a black female was awarded a Juno: Liberty Silver.
Nominees and winners
Female Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Luba
Other nominees: Lee Aaron Dalbello Anne Murray Carole Pope
Male Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Bryan Adams
Other nominees: Bruce Cockburn Gowan Corey Hart Kim Mitchell
Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year
Winner: k.d. lang
Other nominees: Connie Kaldor Belinda Metz Liberty Silver Vanity
Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Paul Janz
Other nominees: Claude Dubois Daniel Lavoie Johnnie Lovesin Johnny MacLeod
Group of the Year
Winner: The Parachute Club
Other nominees: Helix Honeymoon Suite Strange Advance Triumph
Most Promising Group of the Year
Winner: Idle Eyes
Other nominees: The Arrows The Box Images in Vogue Rational Youth
Composer of the Year
Winner: Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance
Other nominees: David Foster Corey Hart Luba Eddie Schwartz
Country Female Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Anne Murray
Other nominees: Carroll Baker Marie Bottrell Anne Lord Laura Vinson
Country Male Vocalist of the Year
Winner: Murray McLauchlan
Other nominees: Terry Carisse Ronnie Hawkins Terry Sumsion Valdy
Country Group or Duo of the Year
Winner: The Family Brown
Other nominees: C-Weed Band Kelita Haverland and Gilles Godard Midnite Rodeo Band Anita Perras and Tim Taylor
Instrumental Artist of the Year
Winner: Canadian Brass
Other nominees: Hagood Hardy Frank Mills The Spitfire Band Zamfir
Producer of the Year
Winner: David Foster, Chicago 17 by Chicago
Other nominees: Bryan Adams, Reckless by Bryan Adams Terry Brown, New Regime by New Regime Peter Cardinali, The Bear Walks by Hugh Marsh Declan O'Doherty, Idle Eyes by Idle Eyes Gino Vannelli, Black Cars by Gino Vannelli
Recording Engineer of the Year
Winner: Hayward Parrott, Underworld by The Front
Other nominees: Kevin Doyle, Claim to Fame by Robert Armes Kevin Doyle, Smalltown Girl by Target Gary Gray, The Bear Walks by Hugh Marsh Anton Kwiatkowski, Serenade in Harmony by Elmer Iseler Singers
Canadian Music Hall of Fame
Winner: Wilf Carter
Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award
Winner: A. Hugh Joseph
Nominated and winning albums
Album of the Year
Winner: Reckless, Bryan Adams
Other nominees: Boy in the Box, Corey Hart Honeymoon Suite, Honeymoon Suite Strange Animal, Gowan Walkin' the Razor's Edge, Helix
Best Album Graphics
Winner: Rob MacIntyre and Dimo Safari, Strange Animal by Gowan
Other nominees: Heather Brown, Secrets and Sins by Luba Heather Brown and Deborah Samuel, 2WO by Strange Advance Dean Motter, Metal for Breakfast by various artists James O'Mara, Idle Eyes by Idle Eyes Deborah Samuel, At the Feet of the Moon by The Parachute Club
Best Children's Album
Winner: Murmel Murmel Munsch, Robert Munsch
Other nominees: The Magic Singing Animal Farm, Brad McDonald, Frank Daller, David Waldon Music Builders VI, The Music Builders Chorus Snyder the Spider, Paul Hann Today's Special, Today's Special Wee Rockers, Wee Rockers
Best Classical Album of the Year - Solo or Chamber Ensemble
Winner: W.A. Mozart-String Quartets, The Orford String Quartet
Other nominees: Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonatas, Steven Staryk and John Parry Great French Organ Works, Mireille Lagace Pachelbel Cannon and Other Digital Delights, Andrew Davis and the Toronto Chamber Orchestra Mezzo Soprano, Catherine Robbin