Robert Paquette

Robert Paquette is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has been an influential figure in the Canadian folk music scene for over four decades. Born in Sudbury, Ontario, on July 2, 1949, he began his career in 1965 writing songs for Les Zodiacs before making his first-ever TV appearance with Les Chat-Uteurs in 1967. During the 1970s, he was involved with the stage musical Moé, j'viens du nord, 'stie!, a project created by Franco-Ontarian progressive rock band CANO that evolved into the professional theatre troupe Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario. Dépêche Toi Soleil, his studio debut, was released in 1974 and was a critical and commercial success in French-speaking Canada. Over the following years, he toured throughout Canada, the US, and Europe while continuing to received critical praise for albums such as Prends celui qui passe (1976), Au pied du courant (1978), Paquette (1981), and Gare à vous (1984). Some of his biggest hits from this time include "Jamaica," "Baba Nam," or "Bleu et Blanc," which was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. The late 1980s found the folk artist working almost exclusively on music for TV and theatre, collaborating closely with TVOntario's Chaîne Française, SRC, and the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario. In 1995, Robert Paquette joined forces with singer-songwriter Jean-Guy "Chuck" Labelle on the Christmas album Un Cadeau de Noël, followed by other holiday releases like Noël encore une fois (2000), Noël en tout et partout (2006), and J'ai chucké Noël (2010). Apart from his musical work, he also helped found the Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique and served as its vice-president for 12 years. In 2001, he was awarded the association's Prix Hommage at its first Trille Or Gala.