1755 (pronounced ''seventeen fifty-five'') is an

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

band formed in 1975 by Kenneth Saulnier, Pierre Robichaud, Roland Gauvin, Donald Boudreau and Ronald Dupuis.

History

The band was named after the Great Deportation of 1755, during which Acadians were deported from

Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early ...

(present day

Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...

), and it is associated with Acadie's passage into modernity and for generating a new consciousness of Acadian pride and identity. The Acadian poet

Herménégilde Chiasson Herménégilde Chiasson (born 7 April 1946) is a Canadian poet, playwright and visual artist of Acadian origin. Born in Saint-Simon, New Brunswick, he was the 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick between 2003 and 2009. He is also curre ...

wrote that 1755 was "much more than a band" but rather "the chant of a generation" and that their songs and lyrics remain the "testimony of a period of tension and affirmation". The group is considered an icon of modern Acadian culture, and is credited for launching the modern Acadian musical scene at the international level and for influencing several Acadian artists and bands that came after them, such as

Fayo Mario LeBlanc (born 1977) better known under his stage name Fayo (transl. ''bean''), is an Acadian musician born in Dieppe, New Brunswick. As many artists from south eastern New Brunswick, Fayo sings in chiac, the local French dialect mixing ...

Dominique Dupuis Dominique Dupuis (born 1987), is a Canadian celtic music violinist. Born in Memramcook, New Brunswick, Canada, she has played violin from the age of nine, when she performed on stage at the Pays de la Sagouine, in Bouctouche. At 12, she perfor ...

. The band officially broke up in 1984, but began to reunite to play shows and summer tours, especially during Acadian-related festivities such as

National Acadian Day The National Acadian Day (french: Fête nationale de l'Acadie) is observed in parts of Canada each year on August 15, to celebrate Acadian culture. It was during the first National Convention of the Acadians held at Memramcook, New Brunswick, in ...

. A particularly notable show was at the

Moncton Coliseum The Moncton Coliseum (french: Colisée de Moncton) is an event venue and former ice hockey arena in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Atlantic Canada's largest trade show facility, the Coliseum has over of exhibition space and a drawing power of 1.4 ...

, during the first

Acadian World Congress The Acadian World Congress, or Le Congrès Mondial Acadien, is a festival of Acadian and Cajun culture and history, held every five years. It is also informally known as the ''Acadian Reunion''. Its creator was André Boudreau (1945-2005). Histor ...

in 1994, which was filmed and turned into a live album ''Les retrouvailles de la famille'' and a video release on VHS and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

. The band toured through New Brunswick in 2009. After the band broke up, its members went on with their musical careers. Gauvin joined the band

Les Méchants Maquereaux Les Méchants Maquereaux (translated:The Naughty/Evil Mackerels or Pimps, a pun in French) are an Acadian musical group originating from New Brunswick. The band formed in 1992 with locals Johnny Comeau, Roland Gauvin, and Cayouche with Louisiana ...

and released a solo album in 2005. He also co-wrote the music for the 1995 documentary about the Acadian deportation. In 2001, Saulnier released the solo album ''Heritage''. Robichaud released two solo albums, in 1998 and 2004. Dupuis formed the Glamour Puss Blues Band. As of 2019, 1755 was still touring and performing.

Musical style

1755 combines

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, with traditional folk song lyrics, or original compositions from the band members, or from Acadian poet

Gérald Leblanc Gérald Leblanc (September 25, 1945 – May 30, 2005) was an Acadian poet notable for seeking his own Acadian roots and the current voices of Acadian culture. Leblanc was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. He studied at the Université de Moncton ...

. Most of the band's songs are performed in the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...

of south eastern

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, known as "

chiac Chiac (or ''Chiak'', ''Chi’aq''), is a Creole variety of Acadian French spoken mostly in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. Chiac is often characterized and distinguished from other forms of Acadian French by its borrowings from English, it ...

", but some compositions are in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as well.

Discography

Albums

* ''1755'', 1978, Presqu'île Records * ''Vivre à la Baie'', 1979, Presqu'île Records * ''Synergie'', 1982, Le Barachois * ''Les retrouvailles de la famille, Live Au Colisée De Moncton'', 1994, ISBA Music Entertainment * ''Yousque T'es Rendu?'' (re-release of ''Synergie''), 1999, ISBA Music Entertainment * ''Anthologie'', 2012, Independent

EPs and singles

* "Le Monde A Bien Changé" / "Le Monde Qu'on Connait", 1978, Presqu'île Records * "C.B Buddie" / "Hallo Joe", 1978, Presqu'île Records * "Je T'Aime" / "Disco Banjo", 1979, Presqu'île Records

Awards and honors

*At the 2008

East Coast Music Award The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...

s, 1755 received the Dr

Helen Creighton Mary Helen Creighton, CM (September 5, 1899 – December 12, 1989) was a prominent Canadian folklorist. She collected over 4,000 traditional songs, stories, and beliefs in a career that spanned several decades, and she published many books and ar ...

Lifetime Achievement Award for their contribution to the music of the region.