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").
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.
Savoie started her musical career with the local group Les
Hirondelles and then became the female lead with the Keray Regan Band. She
married band member and country singer Bob Regan (Robert Fredriksen), and,
using the stage name Lucille Starr, she began performing with him as a country
singing duo called "Bob & Lucille". Their first recording was the
1958 rockabilly single
"Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Moe,", released through Ditto, a small recording
studio in Hollywood, California.
The duo had several successful singles in both the U.S. and Canada, including "No Help Wanted." With her powerful voice and vibrant performances, Starr soon attracted notice from several label executives, one of whom dubbed the act the Canadian Sweethearts.
The duo had several successful singles in both the U.S. and Canada, including "No Help Wanted." With her powerful voice and vibrant performances, Starr soon attracted notice from several label executives, one of whom dubbed the act the Canadian Sweethearts.
Whilst in California, the two frequently appeared on local
country music shows and on ABC's Country America show, where they appeared
regularly for two years. They also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, and toured
North America with Hank Snow, Wilf Carter and Little Jimmy Dickens. 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. 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.
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. 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.
Both Starr and the
Canadian Sweethearts signed to A&M Records in 1963, the latter reaching the
Top 50 with "Hootenanny Express." They also had two top-rated hits in
Canada, including "Looking Back to See."
In 1964 Starr recorded a
song called "The French Song" that was produced by Herb Alpert. It
was recorded in both French and English. At that 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.
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 favourite in the Netherlands. Selling sold over
one million copies; it was awarded a gold disc.
In 1967, Starr and her Canadian Sweethearts duo signed a
recording contract with Epic Records in Nashville, Tennessee and recorded with
producer Billy Sherrill. She appeared regularly on the charts through the
mid-'70s.. The couple divorced in 1967 but continued to perform together
occasionally until 1977, when they decided it was time the Canadian Sweethearts
be sweethearts no more. In 1978 she married Bryan Cunningham.
Lucille had several
hit singles in Canada during the 1980s, never again achieving the heights she
enjoyed with “The French Song” but carving out a solid, respectable niche for
herself as a top-tier interpretive vocalist fluent in English, French and
Spanish.
She toured during the 1980s with a troupe from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, appeared with both Hank Snow and Wilf Carter, performed widely on her own in Canada, and was co-host 1989-90 for 'Canadian Country Express,' syndicated from CHRO-TV, Pembroke, Ont. She also performed several times as a headliner in Holland, where she made her first appearance in 1965.
She toured during the 1980s with a troupe from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, appeared with both Hank Snow and Wilf Carter, performed widely on her own in Canada, and was co-host 1989-90 for 'Canadian Country Express,' syndicated from CHRO-TV, Pembroke, Ont. She also performed several times as a headliner in Holland, where she made her first appearance in 1965.
In 2010 a jukebox musical based on her career titled Back to
You: The Life and Music of Lucille Starr (script by Tracey Power), had a short
run at the Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg, and she’s also had a street
named in her honour in the city of Coquitlam, British Columbia. In 1987 she
became the first woman inducted into the Canadian Country Music Association
Hall of Honour and in 1989
was made a member of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Her son, Bob Frederickson, was the guitarist in a later version of Buffalo Springfield.
was made a member of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Her son, Bob Frederickson, was the guitarist in a later version of Buffalo Springfield.
Starr continued to tour the world through to the 1990s and perform
on special occasions until she had brain surgery in 2011. Since then she has also
recently undergone cancer surgery in 2017.
For his part, Bob Regan teamed up with a new female
counterpart in Keree Rose and continued performing until his passing in Los
Angeles on March 5, 1990.
(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & Deep Roots magazine)
Here's Lucille Star, live in 1990 at the Floralia Festival in
Oosterhout, Holland, with West Virginia Railroad performing ‘I’ll Go Stepping
Too,’ ‘Making Believe’ and ‘Cotton Fields’
3 comments:
For “Lucille Starr – The French Song (Disky 1999)” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/11689416/Lucille_Star_-_The_French_Song.rar.html
1 Jolie Jacqueline 2:16
2 I'll Go Stepping Too 1:46
3 Colinda 2:38
4 The Best Of The Blues 3:16
5 Bonjour Tristesse 2:23
6 Are You Teasing Me 2:34
7 Mississipi 3:55
8 That's How Long I'LL Love You 3:16
9 The French Song 2:50
10 Pick Me Up On Your Way Down 2:28
11 Ecstasy 2:15
12 Crazy Arms 2:40
13 Hey Mister Wind 3:15
14 I'M So Lonesome I Could Cry 2:43
15 I'M Not The Women I Want To Be 2:55
16 I'LL Be There 2:26
For” Lucille Starr & Canadian Sweethearts - Lonely Street
- Side By Side, Pop & Country, plus Bonus Singles” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/11689441/Lucille_Starr_-_Canadian_Sweethearts.rar.html
1 Canadian Sweethearts Heartaches By The Number 2:30
2 Canadian Sweethearts Looking Back To See 2:00
3 Canadian Sweethearts I Love You 2:23
4 Canadian Sweethearts Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? 2:48
5 Canadian Sweethearts Are You Mine? 2:05
6 Canadian Sweethearts True Love 2:00
7 Canadian Sweethearts Winchester Cathedral 2:30
8 Canadian Sweethearts I Said My Pajamas (And Put On My Prayers) 2:42
9 Canadian Sweethearts Canadian Sunset 2:49
10 Canadian Sweethearts Side By Side 2:08
11 Lucille Starr Lonely Street
12 Lucille Starr Too Far Gone
13 Lucille Starr Missing You
14 Lucille Starr If I Give My Heart To You
15 Lucille Starr Who's Gonna Stand By Me?
16 Lucille Starr Searching (For Someone Like You)
17 Lucille Starr (Bonjour Tristesse) Hello Sadness
18 Lucille Starr Cajun Love
19 Lucille Starr Someone Up There Still Loves Me
20 Lucille Starr Full House
21 Lucille Starr Cry, Cry Darlin'
Bonus Single Sides
22 Lucille Starr I Don't Trust Me Around You
23 Canadian Sweethearts More Than Money Can Buy
24 Canadian Sweethearts Let's Wait A Little Longer
25 Lucille Starr Before The Next Teardrop Falls
26 Lucille Starr Too Lonely Too Long
27 Lucille Starr Is It Love?
28 Canadian Sweethearts Hey Sue
29 Canadian Sweethearts You Were Worth the Wait
A bg thank you to Ludovico @ Entre Musica for original posts.
Update CBC News September 6, 2020
Lucille Starr passed away Friday September 4, 2020 at the age of 82 following a lengthy illness.
"Lucille Starr was the first female Canadian country music singer to sell one million records, the first Canadian woman to be inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and the first Canadian woman to perform at Nashville's famous Grand Ole Opry."
John Kinsman, Midland ON Canada
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