Richard Séguin

French-Canadian folk and rock luminary Richard Séguin was born on March 27 1952 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Canada and kicked off his career in the 1960s with the group Les Nochers, which he founded with his twin sister Marie-Claire. After joining forces with a troupe of other band members—namely guitarist Robert Letendre, bassist Andre Brault, pianist Norman Théroux, and drummer Denie Chénier—the group set about recording their self-titled debut album as the newly christened La Nouvelle Frontière and the follow-up, L'hymne aux quenouilles, (both released in 1970) before deciding to part ways. Marie-Claire Séguin and brother Richard Séguin continued to perform as the duo Les Séguin and notched up four albums together before calling it quits in order to focus on their respective solo careers. Richard Séguin launched himself as a solo artist on the live circuit that year and his subsequent collaboration with Harmonium guitarist Serge Fiori on Deux Cents Nuits à L'Heure took him to the dizzying heights of Québécois fame with not one but three Félix Awards, including the Félix for singer-songwriter of the year. Richard Séguin's eponymous debut solo album landed two years later, and he poured his interest in the writings of Louky Bersianik into his second solo album, Trace et contraste, which was released in 1980 and picked up three awards at the Festival de Spa. He returned with his third album Double Vie five years later, which mined a more rock-based sound compared to previous folkier material. The new sound was a hit; Double Vie hung around on the Quebecois charts for more than 50 weeks, scooping the Félix award for best rock album in 1986. Its 1988 successor, Journée D'Amérique, pulled off the same feat with the LP track "Ici Comme Ailleurs" winning the CBC's Notre Chanson competition. 1991 saw the release of Aux Portes du Matin—which was garlanded with Juno's best-selling French-language album prize in 1993—and a significant 150-date tour that formed the basis of 1993 live LP Vagabondage. Richard Séguin stepped away from the limelight for five years after issuing D'Instinct in 1995 before returning with Microclimat. 2006 album Lettres Ouvertes shot to the top of the Quebecois charts while his career has continued well into the 2010s, with works including 2016's Les Horizons Nouveaux and 2022 full-length Les Liens Les Lieux.

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