Raymond Berthiaume (born May 9, 1931 and died June 23, 2009) was a Canadian jazz singer, musician, producer and composer from Quebec, Canada.
Biography
Berthiaume was born in Laval, Quebec, on May 9, 1931. He studied piano and saxophone at College Laval. In 1948, he created an instrumental group named The Three Bars. The owner of the bar in which they performed suggested they select a vocalist, knowing that a singer would make the group more popular. Berthiaume was chosen, and became the group's vocalist.[1] The move seemed to work, and the group was soon hailed as the best in the city. They played in the high-class nightclub El Morocco, where Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Vic Damone had all performed.
In 1954, the music label RCA Victor signed the trio, and they performed the Italian hit N'oublie Jamais (Never Forget), in French. This became a hit for the group, selling nearly 40,000 copies[2] Despite the fame, Berthiaume preferred to spend time in recording studios then on stage.[3]
In 1956, Berthiaume began to record music for advertising, notably Sweet Caporal cigarettes. On the back of this performance, he was in high demand to perform in commercials for other companies.
In 1968, he performed a French cover version of Frank Sinatra's The World We Knew, entitled Un Monde Avec Toi (A World With You), for which he won an award at the "Gala des artistes".
He died of cancer on June 23, 2009, [4] in Montreal (Québec) after being hospitalized for ten days.
Discography
Son quatuor vocal et instrumental (1960 – RCA Victor – LCP 1049)[5]
Moins que rien (Less Than Nothing)
Demain, bientôt, toujours (Tomorrow, Soon, Forever)
Bye bye Baby
Que reste-t-il de nos amours (What's Left of Our Love)
Passe ton chemin – À Bali – La vie mondaine (Passed Your Way, at Bali, the Ordinary Life)
Si jolie (So beautiful)
Clopin, clopant (Head over Heels)
Sous le ciel de Paris (Under Paris Skies)
Danse avec moi (Dance with Me)
Marie
Chantons en choeur (1963 – RCA Victor Gala – CGPS 121)
J'attendrai (I Will Wait)
Je suis seul ce soir (I'm Lonely Tonight)
C'est un mauvais garçon (That's a Bad Boy)
Il est tard mon amour (It's Late, My Dear)
Pourquoi (Why)
Quand je danse avec toi (When I Dance With You)
J'ai deux amours (I Have Two Loves)
Sérénade portugaise (Portuguese Serenade)
C'est magnifique (It's Marvelous)
Heureux comme un (Happy As One)
La vie en rose (Life in Pink)
Vous qui passez sans me voir (You Who Pass Without Seeing Me)
Moi, mes souliers (Me and my shoes)
Le petit bonheur (The little happiness)
Le chaland qui passe (The passing barge)
J'aime les femmes c'est ma folie (Loving Women Is My Folly)
Reviens (Come Back)
Parlez-moi d'amour (Speak To Me Of Love)
Je sais que vous êtes jolie (I Know You Are Happy)
Symphonie (Symphony)
Chantons en choeur volume 2 (1963 – RCA Victor Gala – CGP 145)
Chantons en choeur (Let's Sing Together)
Maison dans la plaine (House on the Prairie)
Qui sait, qui sait, qui sait (Who Knows, Who Knows, Who Knows)
Pour notre amour (For Our Love)
T'es mon soleil (You Are My Sunshine)
Un jour tu verras (One Day, You Will See)
C'est si doux (It's so tender)
Si vous m'aimiez autant (If you would love me so)
Aimer comme je t'aime (To Love As I Love)
Sous le ciel bleu du Texas (Under The Blue Sky of Texas)
Tout le long des rues (All Along the Streets)
Image dans mon coeur (Image in My Heart)
Une hirondelle (A swallow)
Venez près de moi (Come Close To Me)
Marie-Elena
Après la pluie l'beau temps (After the rain the sunshine)
La chanson du bonheur (Song of happiness)
Clarinette de danse (1965 – RCA Victor Gala – CGP 200)[6]
L'amour (Love)
À San Francisco (In San Francisco)
Days of wine and roses
Des oeillets blancs (White eyes)
Et pourtant (However)
For me formidable
Mélodie perdue (Lost Melody)
Temps du muguet (Time of the lily of the valley)
Fly me to the moon
Raymond Berthiaume Et Les 3 Bars : L'inoubliable (1965 – RCA Victor – LCP 1031)[7]
^Son quatuor vocal et instrumental (Liner notes). Raymond Berthiaume. Canada: RCA Victor. 1962. LCPS 1049.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Clarinette De Danse (Liner notes). Raymond Berthiaume. Canada: RCA Victor. 1965. CGPS-200.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^L'inoubliable (Liner notes). Raymond Berthiaume Et Les 3 Bars. Canada: RCA Victor. 1962. LCPS 1031.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Joie de vivre (Liner notes). Raymond Berthiaume. Canada: RCA Victor. 1966. PCS 1012.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
