Willie Lamothe was the stage name ofJoachim Guillaume LamotheCM (January 27, 1920 – October 19, 1992), aCanadian musician and actor fromQuebec.[1] One of the pioneers of French languagecountry music,[2] he recorded over 500 songs, both originals and translated renditions of English language country music hits, over the course of his career.[1]
Born and raised inSaint-Hyacinthe,[1] Lamothe served in theCanadian Army duringWorld War II, beginning his career in music by performing as "The Singing Sergeant" for his fellow soldiers. Following the end of the war, he recorded his first mini-album,Je suis un cowboy canadien, in 1946.[3] He recorded a number of albums and singles over the next thirty years and frequently performed on tour, most frequently within Quebec but also from time to time in English Canada and at least one performance inNashville.[1] His performances included shows opening forGene Autry at theMontreal Forum in 1952 and 1954.[1]
Through the 1970s he performed as an actor in a number of films, most notablyWe Are Far from the Sun (On est loin du soleil),The True Nature of Bernadette (La Vraie nature de Bernadette),The Doves (Les Colombes) andThe Death of a Lumberjack (La Mort d'un bûcheron), and won theCanadian Film Award forBest Supporting Actor in 1973 for the latter role.[4] In 1978 he won the Best Supporting Performer in a Non-Feature film for his role inThe Machine Age (L'Âge de la machine).[5] During the same era, he was host of a television variety show,Le Ranch à Willie, forTélé-Métropole, and the subject of a documentary film,Je chante à cheval... avec Willie Lamothe, for theNational Film Board.[1]
He suffered astroke while performing inRimouski in 1978,[6] and made only irregular appearances afterward, most notably in a CBC Television series about the history of Canadian country music in the 1990s.[1] He was inducted as aMember of the Order of Canada in 1979.[7]
His son Michel (1948-2019), also sometimes credited as "Willie Lamothe, Jr.", was a rock musician who was associated with the bandsOffenbach andCorbeau.[1]
Lamothe died on October 19, 1992, at age 72.[1]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
