Joseph Gaétan Robert Gérald (Gerry) Boulet (March 1, 1946 – July 18, 1990) was a

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

rock singer."Gerry Boulet"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

'', July 17, 2007. Most famous as vocalist for the

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 ...

rock band Offenbach, he also released two solo albums. He is considered one of the innovators of rock music in the

joual ''Joual'' () is an accepted name for the linguistic features of Quebec French that are associated with the French-speaking working class in Montreal which has become a symbol of national identity for some. ''Joual'' is stigmatized by some and ce ...

language of French Quebec.

Career

Born and raised in

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal. It is situated on the west bank of the Richelieu River at the northernmost naviga ...

, he started in music with the band Les Gants Blancs (literally "The White Gloves"), which evolved into Offenbach, in 1969. In 1985, Boulet recorded his first solo album, ''Presque 40 ans de blues''. The following year, the band performed a farewell concert at the

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the h ...

."Gerry Boulet"
''QuébecInfoMusique''. In 1987 he was diagnosed with

colon 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 mo ...

. Boulet released his second solo album, ''Rendez-vous doux'', in 1989. Some songs in this album clearly talk about his fight to stay alive. The album won him three

Félix Award The Félix Award (french: Trophée Félix or Prix Félix) is an award, given by the ''Association du disque, de l'industrie du spectacle québécois'' (ADISQ) on an annual basis to artists working in the music and humor industry in the Canadian p ...

s in 1989 for Best Rock Album, Best Rock Concert and Best Television Special; in 1990, he won two more posthumous Félix Awards, including Song of the Year for "Un beau grand bateau" and a special tribute award. ''Rendez-vous doux'' held the title of the best-selling album of all time by a Québécois artist through the early 1990s, until it was surpassed in 1996 by

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

's ''

D'eux ''D'eux'' (French for "Of Them, "About Them", or "From Them"; homophonic with , meaning "two") is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and her tenth French-language studio album. It was released by Columbia Records on 30 ...

''. On July 18, 1990, Boulet died in Montreal of cancer.

Legacy

In 1991 his solo debut was reissued under the new title ''Gerry'', while in 1994

Dan Bigras Dan Bigras (born 23 December 1957) is a francophone rock singer and actor from Canada. He has released a number of albums of rock music, beginning with ''Ange Animal'' in 1990. He is the spokesman of ''Refuge des Jeunes de Montréal'' (meaning ...

produced a recording of Boulet's previously unreleased

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

''Jézabel''. Offenbach reunited in 1996, with

Martin Deschamps Martin Deschamps (born June 23, 1970) is a Canadian rock singer from Quebec. He records and performs both as a solo artist and as the lead vocalist for the reunited Offenbach. Young age Deschamps was born with congenital deformities of all fou ...

on vocals."Offenbach, Corbeau in new incarnation: Quebec rock act reunites". ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'', November 7, 1996. In 1998, the live album ''Gerry Boulet...en rappel'' was released. ''

Gerry Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice presi ...

'', a biographical film about his life, was launched in theatres on June 15, 2011."Mario Saint-Amand hits the right notes as Gerry Boulet; Film stays true to rocker's life". ''

'', June 15, 2011. The film was directed by

Alain DesRochers Alain DesRochers is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. DesRochers studied first at St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu College in the early 1980s and then at Concordia University earning himself a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the end of the decad ...

, and stars Mario Saint-Amand as Boulet.

Discography

* ''Presque 40 ans de blues'' (1984) * ''Rendez-vous doux'' (1988) * ''Gerry'' (1991) * ''Jézabel'' (1994) * ''Gerry Boulet...en rappel'' (1998)

References

External links

*
Gerry Boulet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulet, Gerry 1946 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Canadian male singers Canadian rock singers Deaths from cancer in Quebec French Quebecers French-language singers of Canada People from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Singers from Quebec