Paul Piché (born September 5, 1953, in La Minerve, Quebec) is a singer-songwriter, environmentalist, political activist and

Quebec sovereigntist The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the sovereignty of Quebec, a province of Canada since 1867, including in all matters related to any provision of ...

. He mostly composes on

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, although some of his recent work has had some electronica sound input. Many of his songs have become classics of the Québécois repertoire at cabaret nights, parties, camp fires, and especially at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations. Piché studied archaeology at the Université de Montréal, and in the early 1970s sang in Quebec colleges. In 1977 the keyboardist

Robert Léger Robert Léger is a Canadian songwriter from Quebec, responsible for writing many of Beau Dommage's biggest hits. Along with bandmates Pierre Huet and Michel Rivard, he studied at the Université du Québec à Montréal as part of the Quenouill ...

of Beau Dommage encouraged him to record his first LP, ''À qui appartient le beau temps'', which sold more than 100,000 copies. In 1980, Piché releases his second album, ''L’escalier'', which was inspired by his trip down the staircase in René Lévesque Boulevard. From then on, Piché began working with the keyboardist Michel Hinton (also from Beau Dommage). His single "Tous les vents", reached second place on the Radio-activité chart in August 1984 and his album ''Nouvelles d'Europe'' won the Félix Award for best rock album of 1985. In 1986 he performed with

Michel Rivard Michel Rivard (born September 27, 1951) is a singer-songwriter and musician from Quebec. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His father, , was an actor. Michel began his career at an early age appearing in a Canadian television series (''R ...

and released a double album, ''Intégral'', which is a collection of all his works. He then travelled throughout Quebec and performed at the festivals of Millénaire in Brussels, in La Rochelle, and in Nyon, Switzerland. ''Sur le chemin des incendies'', which sold more than 100,000 copies, revealed a more personal facet of the songwriter. Many pieces were written in collaboration with the guitarist

Rick Haworth Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

. "J'appelle", reached first place on the Radio activité chart in December 1988. Piché participated in the St-Jean Baptiste nationalist gatherings in 1990 on the Plains of Abraham of Quebec City, and on

St. Helen's Island Saint Helen's Island (french: Île Sainte-Hélène) is an island in the Saint Lawrence River, in the territory of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago. It is situated immediately offshore from Old Mont ...

in Montreal. Often associated with the great names of the Quebec chanson, Piché participated in La Fête à Vigneault at the Francofolies of Montreal in 1990, which celebrated the 30-year-career of the national poet. Montreal's '' La Presse'' proclaimed Piché 'Personality of the Year' in the song category. An artist committed to the causes of workers, of the state, and of ecology, Piché is the songster of the common man. Such songs as "À qui appartient le beau temps", and "Les Pleins" have become classics of the genre. Journalist Laurent Saulnier stated that Piché was the missing link between

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

and

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

, "an original mixture of French song, American rock, and Quebec folklore". (''

Voir ''Voir'' was a francophone alternative weekly newspaper in Montreal, Quebec, published by Communications Voir. ''Voir'' was founded by Pierre Paquet in November 1986. The first issue of the newspaper was published on 27 November 1986. Later on t ...

'', February 23, 1989). In 2016, during the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, he performed after Triple Rock, a group that is made out of Théo, Yoopa and Benoît Archambault. From June 17 to 19, 2018, Paul had performed at the City Center in Saint-Constant, Quebec after Alexis Arbour.

Discography

Studio albums

*1977 – À qui appartient l'beau temps? *1980 – L'escalier *1982 – Paul Piché (Les Pleins) *1984 – Nouvelles d'Europe *1988 – Sur le chemin des incendies *1993 – L'instant *1999 – Le voyage *2009 – Sur ce côté de la Terre

Compilations

*1986 – Intégral *1996 – L'un et l'autre

References

External links

Audiogram – record label – streaming of albums availableAudio excerpts on Archambault.caFan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piche, Paul 1953 births Canadian male singers Canadian rock singers French-language singers of Canada French Quebecers Living people Songwriters from Quebec Audiogram (label) artists Quebec sovereigntists Université de Montréal alumni Canadian male singer-songwriters 20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

See also

References

External links