Martin Deschamps (born June 23, 1970)[1] is a Canadianrock singer from Quebec. He records and performs both as a solo artist and as the lead vocalist for the reunited Offenbach.
Deschamps was born with congenital deformities of all four limbs; he is missing both his left arm and right leg, and has only two fingers on his right hand.
At the age of nine, his family moved to Rawdon, Quebec. During his youth, his handicap was not mocked in school. He entertained his student friends in class and maintained good enough grades to be the first of his class.[1]
He started playing the drums when he reached 11 years of age, and by the age of 15, he was playing bass guitar and started singing. From 1989 to 1995 he was a graphic designer for Bell company. The first band he played in was called Any Way, as their drummer. Knowing he wanted to become a band leader, he formed his own group called Deep Freeze.[1]
His musical career began in 1996 when, with that group, he was named best vocalist in the L'Empire des futures stars competition. He was subsequently invited to join rock band Offenbach on a reunion tour as the replacement for the late Gerry Boulet, and immediately departed on a 50-show tour. He then released his own solo debut, Comme je suis, in 2000. Selling 60,000 copies in Quebec, the album spawned three hit singles and was nominated for three Félix Awards, for best new artist, best rock album and best single ("Quand").
For his second album, 2001's Différent, he donated a portion of the profits to Montreal's Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, and subsequently became a spokesperson for the province's Semaine des personnes handicapées.
He subsequently recorded two songs for the soundtrack to Denise Filiatrault's film Alice's Odyssey (L'Odyssée d'Alice Tremblay) and a duet with Lynda Lemay, and mounted a successful concert tour in France.
His third album, Le Désert, was released in 2003. That album's single "Vérité" spent five weeks at #1 on Quebec's pop charts.
Offenbach subsequently released the album Nature in 2005, and Deschamps toured with the band that year.
He released a Christmas CD in December 2012. It features his daughter.
In an interview with fellow disabled person Elizabeth, he cites Metallica, AC/DC and PATOFFE as his greatest musical inspirations.
Martin Deschamps performed in 2004 for the anti-smoking group Commando Oxygene at la TOHU. He sang a cover of "I feel good" by James Brown. He began the performance by discussing his history of smoking, and after declaring that he was now a non-smoker he said "Boy, do I feel good" and danced on stage.
He owns a custom made Harley Davidson, which has been built so that he can ride it without arms or legs.
Jethro Tull are a British progressive rock band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire, in 1967. Initially playing blues rock and jazz fusion, the band soon incorporated elements of English folk music, hard rock and classical music, forging a signature progressive rock sound. The group's lead vocalist, bandleader, founder, principal composer and only constant member is Ian Anderson, who also plays flute and acoustic guitar. The group has featured a succession of musicians throughout the decades, including significant contributors such as guitarists Mick Abrahams and Martin Barre ; bassists Glenn Cornick, Jeffrey Hammond, John Glascock, Dave Pegg, Jonathan Noyce and David Goodier; drummers Clive Bunker, Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow and Doane Perry; and keyboardists John Evan, Dee Palmer, Peter-John Vettese, Andrew Giddings and John O'Hara.
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Seattle, Washington. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple lineup changes. Since 2013, the lineup has consisted of Homme alongside Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and Jon Theodore. The band also has a large pool of contributors and collaborators. Queens of the Stone Age are known for their blues, Krautrock and electronica-influenced style of riff-oriented and rhythmic hard rock music, coupled with Homme's distinct falsetto vocals and unorthodox guitar scales.
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success during the 1970s, the group's current lineup consists of founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, alongside Michael McDonald and John McFee, and touring musicians including John Cowan, Marc Russo (saxophones), Ed Toth (drums), and Marc Quiñones.
Michael Geoffrey Ralphs is an English retired musician, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.
Mountain was an American hard rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in 1969. Originally consisting of vocalist-guitarist Leslie West, bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight, and drummer N. D. Smart, the group disbanded in 1972, but reunited on several occasions prior to West's death in 2020. They are best-known for their 1970 smash hit song "Mississippi Queen", which remains a staple of classic rock radio, as well as the heavily sampled song "Long Red", and their performance at Woodstock Festival in 1969. Mountain is one of many bands commonly credited with influencing the development of heavy metal music during the 1970s. The group's musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal.
Carl Dean Wilson was an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's de facto leader in the early to mid-1970s. He was also the band's musical director on stage from 1965 until his death.
The Jeff Beck Group was a British rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues, rhythm and blues and rock was a major influence on popular music.
Lowell Thomas George was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat. Before forming Little Feat, he was a member of the original line-up of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention.
Eric Lee Martin is an American rock singer and musician who was active throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, both as solo artist and as a member of various bands. He rose to prominence as the frontman for the hard rock band Mr. Big, which scored a big hit in the early 1990s with "To Be with You", a song that Martin wrote during his teen years.
Ambrosia is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1970. Ambrosia had five top 40 hit singles released between 1975 and 1980, including the top 5 hits "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part of Me", and top 20 hits "You're the Only Woman " and "Holdin' on to Yesterday". Most of the original band members have been active with the group continuously since their 1989 reformation to the present day, with the notable exception of original guitarist and lead vocalist David Pack who left in 2000.
Lawrence Henry Gowan is a Scottish born Canadian singer and keyboardist. Gowan is a solo artist and has also been vocalist and keyboardist of the band Styx since May 1999. His musical style is usually classified in the categories of pop and progressive rock.
Anthony James Sly was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the front man of the punk rock band No Use for a Name. In his later years he also gained attention for his acoustic solo work, with two acoustic split albums he released with Lagwagon front man Joey Cape and two solo albums.
Joseph Gaétan Robert Gérald (Gerry) Boulet was a French Canadian rock singer. Most famous as vocalist for the Quebec rock band Offenbach, he also released two solo albums. He is considered one of the innovators of rock music in French Quebec.
Offenbach is a Canadian progressive rock and blues rock band, initially active from 1969 to 1985. Following a successful reunion tour in 1996, the band released a new album in 2005.
Marjolène Morin, professionally known as Marjo, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Quebec.
Mark Robert Boals is an American heavy metal vocalist and occasional bassist, best known for his vocals with Yngwie Malmsteen. He is currently a member of the band Foundry.
Chic, currently called Nile Rodgers & Chic, is an American disco band that was formed in 1972 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It recorded many commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " (1977), "Everybody Dance" (1977), "Le Freak" (1978), "I Want Your Love" (1978), "Good Times" (1979), and "My Forbidden Lover" (1979). The group regarded themselves as a rock band for the disco movement "that made good on hippie peace, love and freedom". In 2017, Chic was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the eleventh time.
Paul Martin Raymond was an English keyboardist and guitarist, best known for playing in UFO and Michael Schenker Group. Raymond was the replacement for Christine McVie when she left Chicken Shack to join Fleetwood Mac in 1969.
Victor Stefan Vogel was a Canadian jazz pianist, composer, arranger, trombonist, and conductor.
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