1755 (band)
Encyclopedia
1755 is an Acadian
band formed by Kenneth Saulnier, Pierre Robichaud, Roland Gauvin, Donald Boudreau and Ronald Dupuis. The band was active from 1975 to 1984, when it officially disbanded. After they broke up, every member of the band went on to work on solo albums, or joined new bands such as Les Méchants Maquereaux
.
1755 combined folk
, country
and rock
, with traditional folk song lyrics, or original compositions from the band members or from Acadian poet Gérald Leblanc
. The most of the songs are performed in the French
dialect of south eastern New-Brunswick, known as "chiac", but some compositions are in English
as well. The group is considered an icon of modern Acadian culture, and is credited for launching the modern Acadian musical scene at the international level and for influencing several Acadian artists and bands that came after them, such as Fayo
or Dominique Dupuis
.
Although officially broken up, 1755 often reunite to perform shows and summer tours, especially during Acadian-related festivities such as National Acadian Day
. A particularly notable show was at the Moncton Coliseum
, during the first Acadian World Congress
in 1994, which was filmed and turned into a live album Les retrouvailles de la famille and a video release on VHS
and DVD
.
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
band formed by Kenneth Saulnier, Pierre Robichaud, Roland Gauvin, Donald Boudreau and Ronald Dupuis. The band was active from 1975 to 1984, when it officially disbanded. After they broke up, every member of the band went on to work on solo albums, or joined new bands such as Les Méchants Maquereaux
Les Méchants Maquereaux
Les Méchants Maquereaux are an Acadian musical group originating from New Brunswick. The band formed in 1992 with locals Johnny Comeau, Roland Gauvin, and Cayouche with Louisiana's Zachary Richard. In 1995, they won the East Coast Music Award for Acadian Recording Artist of the Year.-References:...
.
1755 combined folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, with traditional folk song lyrics, or original compositions from the band members or from Acadian poet Gérald Leblanc
Gérald Leblanc
Gérald Leblanc was an Acadian poet notable for seeking his own Acadian roots and the current voices of Acadian culture. Leblanc was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick. He studied at the Université de Moncton and lived in Moncton, where he died in 2005...
. The most of the songs are performed in the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
dialect of south eastern New-Brunswick, known as "chiac", but some compositions are in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as well. The group is considered an icon of modern Acadian culture, and is credited for launching the modern Acadian musical scene at the international level and for influencing several Acadian artists and bands that came after them, such as Fayo
Fayo
Mario LeBlanc better known under his artist name Fayo , is an Acadian musician born in Dieppe, New Brunswick. As many artists from south eastern New Brunswick, Fayo sings in chiac, the local French dialect mixing French words with English grammar, and vice-versa...
or Dominique Dupuis
Dominique Dupuis
Dominique Dupuis , is a Canadian celtic music violinist.Born at 1987 in Canada at Memramcook, New Brunswick she has played violin from the age of nine, when she performed on stage at the Pays de la Sagouine, in Bouctouche. At 12, she performed during the opening ceremonies of the Festival...
.
Although officially broken up, 1755 often reunite to perform shows and summer tours, especially during Acadian-related festivities such as National Acadian Day
National Acadian Day
The National Acadian Day is observed in Canada each year on August 15, celebrating the Assumption of Mary. It was during the first National Convention of the Acadians held at Memramcook, New Brunswick, in 1881 that the Acadian leaders received the mandate to set the date of this celebration.The...
. A particularly notable show was at the Moncton Coliseum
Moncton Coliseum
The Moncton Coliseum is a multi-purpose facility, located in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The capacity is 7,200 , for hockey.The adjoining Moncton Agrena complex constitutes the largest trade show facility in Atlantic Canada....
, during the first Acadian World Congress
Acadian World Congress
The Acadian World Congress, or Le Congrès Mondial Acadien, is a festival of Acadian and Cajun culture and history, held every five years. It is also informally known as the Acadian Reunion...
in 1994, which was filmed and turned into a live album Les retrouvailles de la famille and a video release on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Discography
- 1979: Vivre à la Baie
- 1982: Synergie
- 1994: Les retrouvailles de la famille (live)
- 1999: Yousque T'es Rendu?, re-release of Synergie
Awards and honors
- In February 2008, 1755 received the Dr Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award for their musical contribution at the East Coast Music Award ceremony.
External links
- Kenneth Saulnier's website
- Pierre Robichaud's website (Hacked , try http://www.pierrerobichaud.com/biographie.html in the meantime to access the rest of the site)
- Roland Gauvin's website