Utoo Radio with Other News Soures - June 27, 2024 - Manitoba music star Ray St. Germain, who became famous as a teenager for his Elvis Presley-like performances and was proud of his Métis ancestry, died at the aged of 83.
Gloria St. Germain, his wife, announced the Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer's death on Facebook. St. Germain had Parkinson's for years. He released "She's a Square" for Toronto's Chateau Records in 1958 and performed until his late 70s.
At 14, St. Germain joined the Rhythm Ranch Boys as an accordionist. His bandmate Roy DeLaRonde taught him rhythm guitar basics, making him a well-rounded performer. He appeared on the "CJOB Western Hour," a Saturday Dominion Theatre radio show, to compete regularly.
In 1956, St. Germain sang for Winnipeg's Rainbow Dance Gardens crowd, his big break. Country superstars Betty Cody, Hal Lone Pine, and Lone Pine Jr. attended. Six mornings a week, the trio promoted their shows around the province live on air.
St. Germain joined Lone Pine's travelling radio program in 1956 for $15 per night plus lodging. The band recorded five 30-minute sets and opened for Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton, Porter Wagoner, and George Jones in Prairie community halls and theatres.
In 1958, Canadian singer Ray St. Germain became famous after winning the local spot on CBC's "Talent Caravan."
Next year, he relocated to Toronto and befriended Gordon Lightfoot. Control operator at an automotive shop, St. Germain struggled to succeed.
After five years, he worked downtown at the Grain Exchange to support his family in Winnipeg. He became one of the regional singing hosts of CBC's "Music Hop Hootenanny," producing 39 programs each year, in 1964.
McCabe Grain offered St. Germain a choice in 1965: grain inspector or TV star.
St. Germain recorded his first full-length recordings and performed with Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia, and Anne Murray.
While hosting "Big Sky Country" from Winnipeg in the 1970s, he discovered his Métis lineage and Red River Rebellion ancestry.
Fans say some of their favourite St. Germain songs are powerful hymns of his own reclaiming and pride. His five children and several grandkids followed the troubadour into the recording profession, contributing greatly to music and his community.
