Raôul Duguay (born February 13, 1939) is a Canadian artist, poet, musician, and political activist in the province of Quebec, Canada. He has been an active performer since 1966. Duguay is a longtime supporter of the Quebec sovereignty movement and has run for public office on at least two occasions.
Artist Duguay was born in Val-d'Or in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, an event that he later chronicled on the semi-autobiographical track "La bittt à Tibi" on his first album. He began writing poetry in the 1950s, and his first two anthologies were published in 1966 and 1967.
He met Walter Boudreau in 1967, and the two artists formed L'Infonie shortly thereafter. This project was intended both as a music group and a new approach to collective improvisation; Duguay published its manifesto in 1970. The group released a number of albums on the avant-garde side of Quebec's progressive rock and jazz-rock scenes before dissolving in 1973.Québec Info Musique: Raôul Duguay, Biographie, accessed 14 December 2010. Boudreau and Duguay have re-united on occasion since then, including in 2007 for an Orgues et Couleurs festival.Arthur Kaptainis, "Heavens, what a concert," Montreal Gazette, 29 September 1998, E5.
Duguay released his first solo album in 1975, entitled Alllô tôulmônd; this album features "Tôuttt etô bôuttt," one of his best known tracks. The following year, he performed in front of 400,000 people at the province's Fête nationale, an annual Quebec nationalist cultural event.Juan Rodriguez, "Music is the Message: How Quebec artists seize the moment to fuel a movement," Montreal Gazette, 22 October 2005, D1. Duguay released several more solo albums in the seventies, eighties, and nineties; after a gap of eleven years, he returned with J'ai soif in 2010.Québec Info Musique: Raôul Duguay, Discographie, accessed 14 December 2010. His song "La bittt à Tibi" was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008."kids in the hall (of fame)," Toronto Star, 28 February 2008, E01.
Duguay also provided the music for the film Wild Flowers (Les fleurs sauvages) (1982), for which he received a Genie nomination.Jay Scott, "Top Genie prospects for Jack Miner move," Globe and Mail, 10 February 1983, p. 23; Vincent Canby, "SCREEN: TWO WORKS BY CANADIAN DIRECTOR," New York Times, 9 November 1984. In 1984, he took part in a musical collaboration with Parti Québécois legislator Gilles Baril."Young legislator rocks for charity," Globe and Mail, 16 July 1984, M9. In 1996, he provided the text for a revised version of Terry Riley's In C.Arthur Kaptainis, "SMCQ turns 30, unveils new season," Montreal Gazette, 21 September 1996, E9. Walter Boudreau also participated in this project.
Duguay has continued to publish works of poetry. His sixteenth volume, entre la lettre et l'esprit, was issued in 2001.Raôul Duguay, écrivain, Raôul Duguay home page, accessed 14 December 2010. He has also worked in the visual arts as a painter and sculptor.Raôul Duguay, le sculpteur, Raôul Duguay home page, accessed 14 December 2010; Raôul Duguay, le peintre, Raôul Duguay home page, accessed 14 December 2010
Politics Duguay is a longtime supporter of the Quebec sovereignty movement. In his poem Trente Lettres (1995), he described Canada as a father who "never gave mother [Quebec] an orgasm."This turn of phrase is referenced in Ray Conlogue, "Quebec artists face the fear," Globe and Mail, 14 October 1995, E1. The original was, of course, written in French. In 2010, he signed a public letter criticizing the organizers of Quebec City's Festival d'été for booking mostly anglophone acts to perform.Marianne White, "Festival d'été draws ire of sovereignists," Montreal Gazette, 7 May 2010, C10.
Duguay ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1972 federal election as a non-affiliated candidate in Longueuil, under the name "Raôul Wéziwézô Duguay." He finished well behind Liberal candidate Jacques Olivier.History of Federal Ridings since 1867: LONGUEUIL (1972/10/30), Parliament of Canada, accessed 14 December 2010. In the 1998 provincial election, he ran as a candidate of the governing Parti Québécois in Brome-Missisquoi.Hubert Bauch, "Marquee candidates getting hard to find," Montreal Gazette, 19 October 1998, A1. This article described Duguay as a "hippie/New Age poet-philosopher." He finished second to Liberal incumbent Pierre Paradis., accessed 14 December 2010.
Discography With L'Infonie 1969 : L'Infonie Vol. 3 - Kotaï, London Records 1971 : Vol. 33 : le Mantra - Kotaï, London Records 1972 : L’Infonie Vol. 333 - Kotaï, London Records 1974 : L'infonie Vol. 3333 - Kotaï, London Records
Solo Alllô Tôulmônd, 1975 L'Envol, 1976 M, 1977 Vivant Avec Tôulllmônd, 1978 Lettre à Tôulllmônd, 1980 Le Chanteur de pomme, 1982 Tout ce qui compte, 1983 Douceur, 1985 Monter en amour, 1993 Caser, 1999 J'ai soif, 2010
Compilations 1979 : Ôn S'm Ô Kébèk 1992 : Monter En Amour
Collaborations 1975 : Les Porches by Maneige - Vocals and trumpet on the title song 1986 : Paix Sans Frontière - Raôul gave one of his songs L'oiseau pour la paix 1989 : Nova - with Michel Robidoux 1992 : Atlantide / Golgot(h)a - With Michel-Georges Brégent and Walter Boudreau - Raôul on : Golgot(h)a with Walter Boudreau 1999 : La santé par le rire - by Jean Drouin 2000 : In C - by Terry Riley - With Michel-Georges Brégent and Walter Boudreau - Raôul vocals on the title song In C 2006 : Septentrion - by Anodajay - Raôul vocals on Le Beat À Ti-Bi
Legacy His name appears among the friendships of Arcimboldi in Woes of The True Policeman by Roberto Bolaño.
Electoral record
Bibliography Raôul Duguay et al., Raôul Duguay ou : le poète à la voix d'ô, Montréal, L'Aurore, 1979.
References Citations
Further reading L'Heureux, Christine, et al. Raoul Duguay, ou, le Poète à la voix d'Ô, in series, L'Aurore. Montréal: Éditions Univers, 1979. Gilmore, John. Swinging in Paradise: The Story of Jazz in Montreal. Montreal: Véhicule Press, 1988; Victoria: Ellipse Editions, 2011. Gilmore, John. Who's Who of Jazz in Montreal: Ragtime to 1970. Montreal: Véhicule Press, 1989.
External links Raôul Duguay Official site