Émile Joseph Benoît (March 24, 1913 – September 2, 1992) was a Canadian fiddler who became known for popularizing

Franco-Newfoundlander Franco-Newfoundlanders, also known as Franco-Terreneuvians (or just Terreneuvians) in English or ''Franco-Terreneuviens'' in French, are Francophone Canadians, francophone and/or French Canadian residents of the Provinces and territories of Canada, ...

folk music traditions.Émile Benoît
at Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Born in Black Duck Brook, Dominion of Newfoundland, Benoît worked primarily as a fisherman for much of his life, playing fiddle mainly as a hobby and at local community events. After winning second prize at a fiddle contest in nearby Stephenville in 1973, he began to pursue music more actively, making it his primary career after his retirement from fishing. He became a popular performer, touring throughout Canada, appearing on ''

90 Minutes Live ''90 Minutes Live'' was a Canadian television late-night talk show, which aired on CBC Television from April 19, 1976, to May 12, 1978. The program aired weekday evenings at 11:30 p.m. Hosted by Peter Gzowski, the program was patterned after ...

'' and in several documentary films, and performing in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, England, France and Norway. He released three albums and wrote nearly 200 songs during his lifetime. His final album, 1992's '' Vive la rose'', was recorded with Newfoundland folk-rock band Figgy Duff. He gave his final performance just two months before his death on September 2, 1992, in Stephenville. He was posthumously honoured by the

East Coast Music Awards The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the music industry in the Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music A ...

in 1993. Musicians such as Kelly Russell, Noel Dinn,

Pamela Morgan Pamela Morgan (born November 25, 1957) is a Canadian musician, songwriter and owner of independent label Amber Music, now living in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. From 1976 to 1995, she was lead singer of folk rock band Figgy Duff. Disco ...

and Jim Payne have cited Benoît as an influence on their own music. In 2009, Benoit's version of the song "Vive la rose" was the basis of a

mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes work of art, artwork in which more than one Art medium, medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different List of art media, media. M ...

animated short of the same name, directed by Bruce Alcock and produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

. He was the inspiration for

College of the North Atlantic College of the North Atlantic (CNA, formerly CONA) is one of the largest post-secondary educational and skills training centres in Atlantic Canada, with a history dating back 50 years. The college has 17 campus locations throughout the province ...

's 2015 intersession film project ''Emile's Legacy'' which detailed Figgy Duff's pursuit in convincing Emile to join them on a world tour..

Discography

;Albums *''Emile's Dream'' (1979) *''It Comes from the Heart'' (1982) *''Vive la Rose'' (1992) ;Contributing artist *'' Atlantic Fiddling (1979) *'' The Rough Guide to the Music of Canada'' (2005)

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, v. 1, p. 178
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benoit, Emile 1913 births 1992 deaths Franco-Newfoundlander people Canadian folk fiddlers Fiddlers from Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian male violinists and fiddlers 20th-century Canadian violinists and fiddlers 20th-century Canadian male musicians