Georges Thurston (December 29, 1951 – June 18, 2007) was a

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

singer, author and composer and radio show host. He was known as Boule Noire since 1975 and worked in the music industry as a solo artist for nearly 30 years and as part of musical groups for five years.

Early years

Born in Bedford, Quebec, Thurston later moved to Saint-Jerome, Quebec, where he formed his first band in 1965 called les Zinconnus and produced R&B music, his favorite musical genre. In 1969, he moved on to join the 25th Regiment band and remained with the group until the early 1970s. In the 1970s, he worked with several other Quebec artists including Robert Charlebois, Claude Dubois,

Tony Roman Anthony Roman Agr.Sc. (January 17, 1936 in Veľký Ruskov, Czechoslovakia – October 30, 1992 in Markham, Ontario) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. Early years Roman was born in Czechoslovakia and eventually settled in Canada. He studie ...

Nanette Workman Nanette Joan Workman (born 20 November 1945, Brooklyn, New York, United States) is a singer-songwriter, actress and author, who has been based in Quebec, Canada, during much of her career. She holds dual citizenship of both the United States and ...

and

Michel Pagliaro Michel Armand Guy Pagliaro (born 9 November 1948) is a Canadian rock singer, songwriter and guitarist from Montreal, Quebec. Pagliaro was nominated for a 1975 Juno Award as male vocalist of the year. Although he writes and records predominantly ...

. He played the piano, bass and guitar. He would later be a composer for the group Toulouse. He is also featured as back up singer, on a 45RPM Hey Lord-Valentine (1972 release) by local singer-songwriter Robert Salagan.

Solo career

Thurston's solo career started in 1976 when he released his first solo album titled ''Boule Noire''. It included his first hit ''Aimes-tu la vie?''. During his 30-year solo career, he produced at least 14 albums in both English and French. His first English album, entitled Premiere, was recorded in 1980. Thurston was one of the prominent figures in dance and R&B music in Quebec during the 1970s and 1980s and covered songs by other artists including the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

hit

Let it be Let It Be most commonly refers to: * ''Let It Be'' (Beatles album), the Beatles' final studio album, released in 1970 * "Let It Be" (Beatles song), the title song from the album It may also refer to: Film and television * ''Let It Be'' (1970 ...

in 1995. He also represented Canada at several international music festivals including

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

in 1976 and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in 1988. Thurston's 1978 album ''Aimer d'Amour'' was certified triple platinum. The title song, a cover of Leo Sayer's Easy to Love, would later gain success in the early 1990s when 800,000 copies were sold in Europe. Thurston became a radio show host for

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Rythme FM Rythme FM is a network of French-language adult contemporary FM radio stations broadcasting in most major markets of Quebec. The network was created and owned by Cogeco. History The brand "Rythme FM" was introduced in January 1999 at CFGL-FM ...

radio station in 2000.

Biography book

Just prior to Thurston's death he released his autobiography called ''Aimes-tu la vie?'' after his first hit single. He revealed that he had often been disliked and mistreated. He also said that during his teenage years he nearly became a criminal, but that music helped him to survive through tough times.

Death

Thurston died of

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...

on June 18, 2007, in Montreal. He learned of his cancer in early 2006. He finished recording his last album later that year after extensive chemotherapy operations.

Bibliography

* ''Aimes-tu la vie?'' – autobiography (2007)

Discography

''Source'': * ''Boule Noire'' (1976) * ''Les années passent'' (1977) * ''Aimer d'Amour'' (1978) * ''Il me faut une femme'' (1979) * ''Love me please love me'' (1980) * ''Premiere'' (1980) * ''Primitif'' (1980) * ''Boule Noire Reggae'' (1982) * ''Le tour des îles'' (1987) * ''Résolution'' (1991) * ''Soul Pleureur'' (1992) * ''Let it be'' (1995) * ''Réunion'' (2003) * ''Last call'' (2006)

References

External links

Official Website

Biography of Georges Thurston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, Georges 1951 births 20th-century Black Canadian male singers Deaths from colorectal cancer Canadian rhythm and blues singers Deaths from cancer in Quebec Singers from Quebec Canadian people of Haitian descent People from Montérégie French-language singers of Canada 21st-century Black Canadian male singers 2007 deaths