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

'', 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 language of French Quebec.

Career

Born and raised in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, 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."Gerry Boulet"
''QuébecInfoMusique''. In 1987 he was diagnosed with colon cancer. 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 Awards 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 M ...

''. 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 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 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'', 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 (Quebec), Concordia University earning himself a Bachelor of Fine Arts de ...

, 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