Hal Willis (born Léonald Francis Gauthier; July 15, 1933 – September 4, 2015) was a Canadian country singer who lived in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, USA. He was born in

Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec Rouyn-Noranda ( 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada. The city of Rouyn-Noranda is a coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) and census ...

the youngest son of Alfred and Evelina Gauthier.

Career

His famous country single was " The Lumberjack," an international hit that sold over 1.5 million copies. In 1965, it peaked at number 5 on the '' Billboard'' country charts in the USA. This success was such a phenomenon that he was nicknamed "Mr. Lumberjack." His popularity started rising in 1956 when he and his wife, Ginger Willis, were hired by

Colonel Tom Parker Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997),

to tour with the music phenomenon of the hour,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. At this time, Hal and Ginger were also

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

singers recording songs like "My Pink Cadillac" and "Bop a Dee Bop a Doo." Hal and Ginger, along with

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist. Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on ...

, were the only Canadian performers to tour with

. He also performed and toured through his career with many American

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...

singers such as

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

Webb Pierce Michael Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was an American honky-tonk vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950s, one of the most popular of the genre, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the ...

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

, Johnny Cash and

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

. Hal and Ginger Willis were inducted into the

Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame honours Canadian country music artists, builders or broadcasters, living or deceased. The artifact collection includes extensive biographical information on the inductees. It is located in downtown Merritt, ...

in 2010. On May 27, 2012, Hal Willis was also inducted to the Quebec Museum of Rock & Roll through a ceremony held in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada at the international ''Festival des guitares du monde de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue''. In March 2013, at the age of 79 years, Hal Willis released a new single "Working in the Goldmine".

Death

Willis died in

on September 4, 2015.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

Hal Willis' songs with BMI Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Hal 1933 births 2015 deaths Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters French Quebecers People from Rouyn-Noranda