A former Swift Current teacher who gave up the classroom for a banjo is now a Juno Award winner.

The band 'The Dead South,' which features former Maverick School teacher Eliza Doyle, won a Juno Award last week for best Traditional Roots Album of the Year for their 2016 album Illusion and Doubt.

Doyle says they learned they had won the award when they were on tour.

"It's a pretty interesting experience," she said. "We haven't really had time to process it because we've been on the road. We are just returning home now, so we kind of watched it on live stream while we were playing,"

Doyle said that winning a Juno was something she really never thought of.

"I never really thought or knew where I would end up with music and I never really measured my success based on awards or industry recognition," she said. "It wasn't something that I strove for. It's a very pleasant surprise, and it's a milestone, but it's not something that I ever worked towards."

She added that it's nice to be recognized on a high level.

Doyle, who is originally from Loon Lake moved to Swift Current in Grade 10 and joined the band after the album was recorded in November of 2016.

She said since she joined them the band they continue to get more popular.

"Since I've joined them every tour has been sold out, all the venues are needing to be bumped up, this band has had a real grassroots movement, so in a way, I think it will just continue heading in the direction," she said. "It might move a little faster now which is hard to believe how it could, but it might speed up the process a bit, but I guess we'll see."

The Dead South will look to follow up their Juno Award-winning album as they are back at the drawing board.

"We're working on new material already," Doyle said. "Kind of the way this group likes to work is to get the songs done and then try them live and then make adjustments. We are just really trying not to get driven by what other people want and just kind of let the process happen and develop it as it comes, I'd say there is something on the horizon for late 2018 or early 2019."

The band was also nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year but lost to The Beaches.