Lucille Starr
Lucille Starr | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lucille Starr (1965) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lucille Marie Raymonde Savoie |
| Born | May 13, 1938 Saint Boniface, Manitoba, Canada |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer songwriter Yodeler |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | Almo International, A&M, Epic, Barry |
Lucille Starr (born May 13, 1938) is a Canadian Franco-Manitoban / British Columbian singer, songwriter, and yodeler best known for her 1964 hit single, "Quand Le Soleil Dit Bonjour Aux Montagnes" ("The French Song").
Early life
Starr was born Lucille Marie Raymonde Savoie in Saint Boniface, Manitoba. She was raised in Port Coquitlam and Coquitlam's Francophone community of Maillardville, British Columbia, where she learned to play guitar, bass and mandolin.
Career
Savoie started her musical career with the local group Les Hirondelles. She met and married country singer Bob Regan, and, using the stage name Lucille Starr, she began performing with him as a country singing duo called "Bob & Lucille". Between 1958 and 1963 they released several 45 rpm records that were mainly covers of an eclectic mix of fashionable country, pop, rockabilly and folk songs of people such as Perry Como to Connie Francis. Their records met with modest success on the North American West Coast[1] and in 1963 they were signed by A&M Records in Los Angeles, California, with which they began recording as "The Canadian Sweethearts".
At A&M Records, Starr recorded a song called "The French Song" that was produced by Herb Alpert.[2] It was recorded in both French and English. In 1964, at a time when The Beatles dominated the music charts, "The French Song" was an international success that made Starr the first Canadian artist to have a record sell over a million copies.[3] The popularity of the song led to a tour of the United States and appearing on the Louisiana Hayride radio show and on Chicago radio station WLS (AM) popular National Barn Dance. Starr also sang on American television musical variety shows such as Shindig! and Hullabaloo, followed by tours of Pacific Rim countries, Australia, South Africa, and across Europe where she became a particular favorite in the Netherlands. Selling sold over one million copies, it was awarded a gold disc.[3]
In 1967, Starr and her Canadian Sweethearts duo signed a recording contract with Epic Records in Nashville, Tennessee.[4] Divorced from her husband, their musical collaboration ended in 1977. Although she never again had a hit of the magnitude of "The French Song", Starr enjoyed a long and prosperous career recording primarily in English but also in French and Spanish. For the most part she sang country music, becoming the first female inducted into the Canadian Country Music Association’s "Hall of Honor" in 1987.[5] A capable yodeler, she was hired to do the yodeling for the "Cousin Pearl" character on several segments of the hit TV series, The Beverly Hillbillies.
Back to You: the Life and Music of Lucille Starr, a jukebox musical with a script by Tracey Power, was performed at the Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg in November 2010.[6]
In her honour, a street in the city of Coquitlam, British Columbia was named "Lucille Starr Way".
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The French Song | A&M |
| 1967 | Say you love me | |
| 1968 | In South Africa | |
| 1968 | Greatest Hits | A&M |
| 1968 | Remember Me | CBS |
| 1969 | Lonely Street | Epic |
| 1971 | Side by Side | Harmony |
| 1981 | The Sun Shines Again[7] | Starr |
| 1988 | Back to You | Quality |
| 1991 | Songs of Love | Intersound |
| Chansons D'Amour | ||
| Mississippi | Koch |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN AC | CAN | US Country | US | |||
| 1964 | "The French Song" | — | — | 12 | — | 54 | The French Song |
| "Jolie Jacqueline" | — | — | 24 | — | — | ||
| "Crazy Arms" | 5 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Too Far Gone" | 1 | — | — | 72 | — | Lonely Street |
| 1968 | "Is It Love?" | — | — | — | 63 | — | single only |
| 1969 | "Cajun Love" | 1 | — | — | — | — | Lonely Street |
| 1970 | "Dream Baby" (with Bob Regan) | 28 | — | — | 50 | — | singles only |
| "The French Song" (re-release) | 39 | 14 | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "Sock It to Satan" | 42 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "Power in Your Love" | 37 | — | — | — | — | The Sun Shines Again |
| 1988 | "The First Time I've Been in Love" | 26 | — | — | — | — | Back to You |
| "Back to You" | 63 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Just the Way We Were" | 99 | — | — | — | — | |
References
- ^ Chuck Davis (January 1, 1997). The greater Vancouver book: an urban encyclopaedia. Linkman Press. p. 683. ISBN 978-1-896846-00-2.
- ^ Lucille Star does single for A&M. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 16, 1964. pp. 40–. ISSN 0006-2510.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 183. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ Joseph Murrells (1978). The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie and Jenkins. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-214-20480-7.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Inductees: Lucille Starr". Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame website
- ^ [1] Archived September 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Lucille Starr Artist Biography". AllMusic, by Sandra Brennan
- Canadian Records: A Discography & Price Guide of Canadian 45's & LP's from 1955 to 1975, Andre Gibeault, 1987 (OOP)
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1938 births
- Canadian female country singers
- Canadian country singer-songwriters
- Franco-Manitoban people
- Living people
- Musicians from Winnipeg
- People from Coquitlam
- People from Saint Boniface, Winnipeg
- French-language singers of Canada
- A&M Records artists
- Epic Records artists
- Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States
- Canadian rockabilly musicians