Robert Paquette

This article is about Canadian folk singer-songwriter. For American historian, see Robert L. Paquette.

Robert Paquette
Paquette at La Nuit sur l'étang, in March 2013.
Background information
Born (1949-07-02) July 2, 1949 (age 75)
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
GenresFolk
OccupationSinger-songwriter

Robert Paquette (born July 2, 1949) is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter.[1][2]

In 1970, he worked with the student theatre group at Laurentian University, composing songs for the Franco-Ontarian stage musical Moé, j'viens du nord, 'stie![3][4] The troupe, which was one of the creative initiatives of the CANO artistic movement, evolved into the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario.[5]

Paquette released his first album as a soloist in 1974, and toured Canada and the United States.[1] He performed at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in 1975.[1] In 1978, Paquette represented Canada at the Festival de Spa in Belgium.[1]

Following his 1984 album Gare à vous,[6] Paquette concentrated on television and stage work for TVOntario's Chaîne française, SRC and the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario.[1] He released a compilation of his songs in 1995.[7] He toured with Marcel Aymar and Paul Demers in the 1990s as the performing group Paquette-Aymar-Demers.[8] He also has collaborated with singer-songwriter Chuck Labelle.[9]

Paquette helped to found the Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique, of which he was also the vice-president for 12 years;[10] in 2001, he was the recipient of the association's Prix hommage at its first Gala Trille Or.[11] That same year, his songs "Blanc et bleu," from the album Prends celui qui passe, and "Jamaica," from Au pied du courant, received SOCAN Classic awards.[11]

In 2018, "Bleu et Blanc" was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.[12][13]

  1. ^ a b c d e Rioux, Christian (July 29, 2007). "Robert Paquette". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Fedor, Nick (August 21, 2018). "Robert Paquette's "Bleu et blanc" to be inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame". Words & Music. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "Robert Paquette fête ses 70 ans". Radio-Canada. Ici Nord de l'Ontario. July 2, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  4. ^ Arnopoulos, Sheila McLeod (1982). Voices from French Ontario. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 26–33. ISBN 0773504052.
  5. ^ "50 ans de théâtre!". Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario. 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Paquette, Robert (1984). "Gare à vous". Discogs. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  7. ^ Paquette, Robert (1995). "Moi j'viens du nord". Discogs. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Fitterman, Lisa (November 29, 2016). "Singer Paul Demers wrote anthem for Franco-Ontarians". Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Robert Paquette and Chuck Labelle (December 5, 2019). "Grande rencontre avec Chuck Labelle et Robert Paquette". Jonction 11-17 (Interview). Interviewed by Éric Robitaille. Radio-Canada. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Magny, André (October 15, 2020). "De Robert Paquette à Yao, l'APCM souffle ses 30 bougies". La voix du Nord. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Robert Paquette". Disco-O-Québec. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  12. ^ "Robert Paquette's "Bleu et blanc" to be Inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame" (Press release). That Eric Alper. December 15, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  13. ^ Bergeras, Yves (August 24, 2018). "Robert Paquette au Panthéon". Le Droit. Retrieved February 26, 2022.