Roméo Beaudry

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Roméo Beaudry
RomeoBeaudryPortrait.jpg
Background information
Birth nameLouis Roméo Beaudry
Born(1882-02-25)February 25, 1882
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedMay 6, 1932(1932-05-06) (aged 50)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation(s) Record producer

Louis Roméo Beaudry (February 25, 1882 – May 6, 1932) was a French Canadian author, composer, pianist and record producer, who established Éditions Radio and served as the director general of the Starr Records company of Canada as a music producer. As a composer Beaudry wrote more than 75 songs which went on to be recorded.

Contents

Life and career

Born in Montreal, Beaudry grew up primarily in Quebec City. [1] After finishing his schooling at the Quebec Seminary [2] in 1900, he obtained a job at the National Bank of Canada. Beaudry soon left that job to become a partner in his father's music store, Willis Piano Company.

In 1912 Beaudry obtained a sales representative job with Starr Records which required him to move to Montreal. [1] While in Montreal he obtained a job as a music critic for La Patrie as well.

In 1915, the Columbia Graphophone Company of New York requested that Beaudry put them into contact with Québécois artists in the hopes they could obtain French language music for their francophone customers in New England. Beaudry did so, and Jean-Marie Magnan, Joseph-Henri Thibodeau, Hector Pellerin, François-Xavier Mercier, Damase DuBuisson, Alfred Nohcor and Honoré Vaillancourt all recorded with Columbia as a result of these efforts.

In 1918, the Starr Piano Company of Richmond, Indiana set up a Canadian branch named the Starr Company of Canada. Beaudry was hired as the director general of the company on the strength of his existing relationship with the Starr company and his knowledge of music and musicians in Quebec. [1] During that time, he became a close business associate with Herbert Berliner. In 1919, Beaudry awarded the contract for pressing records from Starr's subsidiary Gennett Records for all of Canada to Berliner's Compo pressing factory. In 1920, he founded Starr Phonograph of Quebec which used Berliner's recording studios to record francophone artists under the Gennett label. [3] Berliner formed a new record company in 1921, first called Sun, but quickly renamed Apex Records, which began producing records for the Starr 12000 series in July 1921. Apex began selling records at 65¢ each, and with the same production Starr also sold records at 65¢ each. The other major record sellers in Quebec, Columbia and His Master's Voice, priced their records at 85¢. This competitive pricing scheme led to the Quebec music market being dominated by Starr. [1]

Around 1920, Beaudry began a collaboration with J Hervey Germain, who recorded eighteen of Beaudry's songs between 1920 and 1925, including: Au revoir Mimi, non pas adieu (1920), Au printemps ma Lizon (1921), Nos vieux parents (1921), Rien qu’un baiser (1921), Mimi printemps (1921), N’oubliez pas (1922), La rose du boulevard (1922), Le sheik d’Arabie (1922), Ah! Ce qu’il a le nez gros (1923), Bonjour ma ninette (1923), Ma jolie danseuse (1923), Mon ami m’a volé mon amour (1924), Printemps d’amour (1924), Riez un peu et tout ira bien (1924), Une fille que les hommes oublient (1924), Il est quelque part mon cœur (1925) and Je ne veux plus pleurer pour toi (1925). [4]

Hercule Lavoie began recordings songs written by Beaudry in 1924, [4] recording more than a dozen songs of Beaudry's over the next few years. These included L’amour pardonne (1924), L’amour se souvient (1924), Berce mon rêve (1924), Chante rossignol chante (1924), Dis-le moi (1924), Hier, aujourd’hui, demain (1925), Il ne faut pas pleurer pour ça (1925), J’ai toujours vingt ans (1925), Mais si tu reviens un jour (1925), Laisse-moi te dire (1926), Il fallait des anges au paradis (1927), Pour quelqu’un qu’on aime (1927) and Tu prends plaisir à me voir souffrir (1927).

In 1925, Compo purchased Starr Phonograph of Quebec and Beaudry remained with the company. During this time most of the prominent singers in Quebec appeared on the Starr label. Beaudry's most insightful move may have been supporting Mary Bolduc in spite of the lack of success on her first release, Y'a longtemps que je couche par terre. [5] The sale of Bolduc's records would later be critical to the survival of Starr through the Great Depression.

In 1927, Beaudry began an association with Georges Beauchemin. [4] Over the next four years, Beauchemin would record more than a dozen songs written by Beaudry. Beauchemin recorded Au milieu de la nuit (1926), Bonjour l’amour (1927), Ramona (1928), Un coin de ciel bleu (1928), À l’ombre des lilas (1928), Jeannine au temps des lilas (1928), Mademoiselle Mimi (1928), Mon Angéline (1929), Mon château d’Espagne (1929), Au sommet du monde (1929), Bonjour mon bel oiseau bleu (1929), Dis-moi que tu pardonnes (1929) and J’ai trouvé l’amour (1929) by Beaudry.

Beaudry died in Outremont of a heart attack on May 6, 1932. [1]

Related Research Articles

Gennett was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings of Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and Hoagy Carmichael. Its roster also included Jelly Roll Morton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, and Gene Autry.

La Bolduc

Mary Rose-Anne Bolduc, born Travers, was a musician and singer of French Canadian music. She was known as Madame Bolduc or La Bolduc. During the peak of her popularity in the 1930s, she was known as the Queen of Canadian Folk Singers. Bolduc is often considered to be Quebec's first singer-songwriter. Her style combined the traditional folk music of Ireland and Quebec, usually in upbeat, comedic songs.

Supertone Records Defunct American record label

Supertone Records was an American record label in the 1920s. Supertone Records were marketed by Sears, Roebuck & Co. in 1924 and again in 1929–1931. Supertone was one of several record disc brand names marketed by Sears. Supertone records were initially made by the Fletcher Record Company in 1924. The discs produced by Fletcher included midwestern dance bands. When Fletcher failed in mid–1924, Bridgeport Die & Machine Company began producing Supertone discs in late 1924.

Gilles Vigneault Canadian poet and singer-songwriter

Gilles Vigneault is a Québécois poet, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Quebec's unofficial anthems: "Mon pays" and "Gens du pays", and his line Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver became a proverb in Quebec. Vigneault is a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec, Knight of the Legion of Honour, and Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Frida Boccara

Danielle Frida Hélène Boccara was a French singer of Italian descent and born in Casablanca, who performed and recorded in a number of languages, including French, Spanish, English, Italian, German, Dutch and Russian.

Diane Tell Canadian musician (born 1959)

Diane Tell is a Canadian musician who was born in Quebec City, Quebec. She entered the Val d’Or conservatory at the age of six. She continued her studies at the Montréal conservatory and then at CEGEP Saint-Laurent and she wrote her first songs at the age of twelve. As one of Québec’s pioneering female singer-songwriters, she proposed her personal repertoire over the course of her first four albums. She won six Félix prizes before the age of 25: breakout artist, best artist, best album, best song and, twice, songwriter of the year. Several of her songs have become SOCAN Classics and Si j’étais un homme was inducted in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017. She earned a MIDEM Award for her album Chimères and a Victoire Award for her album Faire à nouveau connaissance. In 1990, she was chosen by Plamondon, Berger and Savary to play a leading role in the musical La légende de Jimmy. Following that, she played the lead and composed the score for another musical, Marilyn Montreuil, written and stage directed by Jérôme Savary and the Théâtre National du Chaillot, in Paris. Over 300 performances of both shows were presented in France and Europe. Over the past 25 years, Tell has toured relentlessly, written, composed and recorded in Canada, France, the U.K. and Switzerland. In 2018, she produced her 15th studio album of original material in Montréal. As an independent artist, she owns the phonographic rights of her entire catalogue, manages her own publishing company, and produces and finances her albums herself. Also a photographer, she directs the majority of her music videos. Her YouTube channel gets 400,000 views per month on average. In her blog, Diane Cause Musique, she engages up-and-coming artists by explaining the inner workings of the music industry.

Pierre Veber

Pierre-Eugène Veber was a French playwright and writer.

Georges Beauchemin was a Canadian singer and veterinarian, who released records for both the Starr and His Master's Voice recording companies, as well as two recordings under the pseudonym Roger Mainville for the Duprex company. Beauchemin was one of the first musicians from Quebec to have his music mass marketed.

Joseph Fournier de Belleval Canadian singer

Joseph Fournier de Belleval Full name, Josephat Cyprien Justin Fournier-de Bellaval was a French Canadian baritone, singing teacher and retailer. During the 1920s, he recorded over one hundred French language songs, primarily for the Quebec market.

Arlette Marchal French actress

Arlette Marchal was a French film actress. She appeared in 41 films between 1922 and 1951. She was born and died in Paris.

Jacqueline Taïeb is a French singer and songwriter of Jewish Tunisian descent. She achieved her greatest success as a pop and yé-yé singer in France in the 1960s.

Yvon Éthier better known as Patrick Norman is a Canadian country musician. He sings both in French and English and has had hits in Quebec and in the rest of Canada.

Jakob Tiedtke was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1914 and 1955.

Paul Biensfeldt German actor

Paul Biensfeldt was a German-Jewish stage and film actor.

Roger Lion

Roger Lion was a French film director and screenwriter.

Jean Sarment, real name Jean Bellemère, was a French film and stage actor and a writer. He was nominated administrator of the Comédie-Française in July 1944 although he won't occupy the position.

Mario Cazes

Mario Cazes, was a 20th-century French composer, conductor and violinist extremely popular during the 1920s and 1930s.

Charles Derennes was a French novelist, essayist and poet, the winner of the Prix Femina in 1924.

Clément Vautel

Clément Vautel, pen name of Clément-Henri Vaulet was a journalist, novelist and playwright of Belgian origin, naturalized French (1897).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Robert Thérien. "Roméo Beaudry, author, composer, pianist and administrator (1882-1932)". Collections Canada. Retrieved 18 October 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ↑ "Sudden Passing of L. R. Beaudry in Montreal". Canadian Music and Radio Trades Journal. May 1932. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ↑ Elizabeth Surles (July–August 2007). "Why the Difference Is in the Tone: The Starr-Gennett Legacy". Antique Phonograph News. Canadian Antique Phonograph Society.
  4. 1 2 3 Frédérick Blais (12 March 2006). "Roméo Beaudry". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ↑ "La Bolduc -- "The Queen of Canadian Folksingers"". Collections Canada. 2005-07-18. Archived from the original on 2011-08-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.