Bobby Hachey born 2 January 1932

Bobby Hachey (January 2, 1932 - October 18, 2006) was a singer, musician and television host, considered one of the pioneers of western music in Quebec and an exceptional country guitarist. Initially a member of Kid Baker's orchestra, he played with his two brothers, in addition to being the travelling companion of another legend of the genre, Willie Lamothe. Bobby Hachey began his solo career in 1979. 

Albert Hachey was born in Atholville, New Brunswick, Canada and was introduced to music at a very young age. He learned music by replicating what he heard on the 78s he listened to. He never knew how to read music but could play the guitar, mandolin, and violin and appeared on his first radio show at the age of six. At the age of fourteen, he left school to join the orchestra of Kid Baker, a well-known western artist at the time. With his brothers Terry and Curly, whom he met again a little later in Montreal, they then formed their own musical group. 

Bobby and Terry recorded with Hal Willis in 1951 under the name Hillbilly Ramblers. Subsequently, with their brother Curly in a group called The Sunset Playboys which also included, paradoxically, Mary Lou, a female musician, on double bass and violin. They participated in the weekly show of Willie Lamothe and his Cavaliers des Plaines, on CKVL, the popular station in Verdun. On the heels of this popular show, which was broadcast for most of the fifties Bobby and his brother Curly can also be found on some Lamothes recordings. 

Bobby with Willie Lamothe

In the 1960s, the three brothers, now Hachey Brothers, travelled across Canada and the United States with artists such as Tex Ritter, Carl Smith, Porter Wagoner and Canadian Hank Snow. Back in Quebec, Bobby teamed up again with Willie Lamothe in 1967. The two musicians then became inseparable and the tandem can be found on stage, on the radio and of course on television. Télé-Métropole's weekly show from the Ranch to Willie was one of the most popular music shows of the decade and ran for six years, from 1970 to 1976. . It was a great success for six seasons with a million and a half viewers. 

                     Here’s “Fingers On Fire” from above album

                                   

In its first season, the fame of the show led Bobby Hachey to record his own albums. His first for the London label, featured the biggest names in French-language country and western: Paul Brunelle, Marcel Martel, Lévis Bouliane, Larry Robichaud, Ti-Blanc Richard and of course Willie Lamothe, which testified to Bobby's taste for the music of Buck Owens and his Buckaroos. His masterful interpretation of the "Buckaroo" theme made it a landmark record for Quebec country music fans. The guitarist covered some classics of the American country repertoire such as "Yakety Axe", adapted for guitar by Chet Atkins, "Battle Of New Orleans" and "Buck's Polka", but also the theme from the film Doctor Zhivago "Lara" by Maurice Jarre and the song "Caravan" by Duke Ellington. This record was soon followed by a vocal album where he performed a selection of songs by one of his lifelong idols: "Bobby Hachey sings Johnny Cash". 

In 1975, Bobby Hachey and Willie Lamothe toured Louisiana, and in 1976 they returned to Nashville where they recorded together "30 Years and Then Nashville" and performed at the Grand Ole Opry. The collaboration between Hachey and Lamothe continued until 1976. Lamothe's health began to decline, following heart problems that handicapped him, so in 1979 Bobby chose to continue his career as a soloist. Sometimes nicknamed as “Mr. Smile,” he gave shows until the 2000s. 

While continuing to perform at festivals and in the network of country concert halls during the eighties, Quebec's most famous guitarist also joined a section of the youth who recognized him as one of the pioneers of this instrument on the local scene. This is the case of the singer Mitsou who used his services for the recording of her song "Lettre à un cowboy" on her album "Terre des hommes" in 1990. 

Having slowed down his activities on stage due to health problems, Bobby nevertheless continued to display a passion for music and offered a bilingual double album in 2002 - a CD in each language - to mark his 50 years of career, then a new recording entitled "On se souviens du Rock'N'Roll" in April 2005. The Mérite record company released several albums, in the series Les Étoiles du Country, at the turn of 2006, including an "Instrumental Album" and the compilation "Hommage à Elvis & Johnny Cash". 

Bobby Hachey passed away on October 18, 2006 in Saint-Hyacinthe, following lung and throat cancer. He was 74 years old. A few hours after his death, the Government of Quebec reacted to the news in a press release, regretting the death of the guitarist. 

(Edited from Wikipedia & Quebec Info Musique)