Willie Lamothe was the stage name of Joachim Guillaume Lamothe CM
(January 27, 1920 - October 19, 1992), a Canadian musician and actor
from Quebec. One of the pioneers of French language country music, he
recorded over 500 songs, both originals and translated renditions of
English language country music hits, over the course of his
career.Born and raised in Saint-Hyacinthe, Lamothe served in the
Canadian Army during World 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. 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 in Nashville. His performances
included shows opening for Gene Autry at the Montreal Forum in 1952
and 1954.Through the 1970s he performed as an actor in a number of
films, most notably The True Nature of Bernadette (La Vraie nature de
Bernadette) and The Death of a Lumberjack (La Mort d'un bûcheron),
and won the Canadian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1973 for
the latter role. In 1978 he won the Best Supporting Performer in a
Non-Feature film for his role in The Machine Age (L'Âge de la
machine). During the same era, he was host of a television variety
show, Le Ranch à Willie, for Télé-Métropole, and the subject of a
documentary film, Je chante à cheval... avec Willie Lamothe, for the
National Film Board.He suffered a stroke while performing in Rimouski
in 1978, and made only irregular appearances afterward, most notably
in a CBC Television series about the history of Canadian country music
in the 1990s. He was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in
1979.
(January 27, 1920 - October 19, 1992), a Canadian musician and actor
from Quebec. One of the pioneers of French language country music, he
recorded over 500 songs, both originals and translated renditions of
English language country music hits, over the course of his
career.Born and raised in Saint-Hyacinthe, Lamothe served in the
Canadian Army during World 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. 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 in Nashville. His performances
included shows opening for Gene Autry at the Montreal Forum in 1952
and 1954.Through the 1970s he performed as an actor in a number of
films, most notably The True Nature of Bernadette (La Vraie nature de
Bernadette) and The Death of a Lumberjack (La Mort d'un bûcheron),
and won the Canadian Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1973 for
the latter role. In 1978 he won the Best Supporting Performer in a
Non-Feature film for his role in The Machine Age (L'Âge de la
machine). During the same era, he was host of a television variety
show, Le Ranch à Willie, for Télé-Métropole, and the subject of a
documentary film, Je chante à cheval... avec Willie Lamothe, for the
National Film Board.He suffered a stroke while performing in Rimouski
in 1978, and made only irregular appearances afterward, most notably
in a CBC Television series about the history of Canadian country music
in the 1990s. He was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in
1979.
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