Stéphane Paquette, musician and actor, as well as Sunny Fournier, harmonica player and guitarist are examples of Sudburians who have grown their arts careers without having to leave the city.
Paquette headlines the Carrefour francophone winter carnival at Collège Boréal, March 6. He also performed recently at the Haitian benefit at Fraser Auditorium, Laurentian University.
He said he was stopped at Costco recently after two children pointed to him and tugged at their mother’s coat.
“The mom asked me when I was at the check out line if it was hard to do my shopping when I was such a star,” Paquette said. “Considering I was born and raised in Chelmsford and have not had to live elsewhere. For someone to recognize me like that, I must be doing something right.
“There is a myth in this city that if you do not leave, then you cannot seem to have accomplished a lot. I have made a living in acting and music — and now in radio — without having to leave my home town.”
In 2005 Paquette represented Canada at the festival Musique sans frontières à Caïre in Egypt. He also performed in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Stéphane Paquette. Photo supplied.
His first album L’homme exponentiel a été was nominated for best album of the year, and the title song from the album, won best song of the year at a francophone music event, Gala des Trilles Or in 2005, in Ottawa.
Paquette appears on the francophone television show Météo+ aired on TFO Channel 7.
“The production is now finished, but I played a lead actor as an editor and was cameraman for two and a half years.”
The whole show was filmed in the city and will be aired Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Fridays at 11 p.m. for the next year.
Currently he is employed full time as a radio host for his drive home show, Un p’tit brin loup-phoque on Le Loup 98.9 FM La Voix du Nord. The private radio station has only been in operation for a year. Its signal covers a wide swath of northeastern Ontario. It was formerly known as CHYS for 10 years and before that as CFRB.
Paquette said he wants to give back to the northern Ontario.
“I am working on developing a radio show exclusively for northern Ontario French and English artists. I know personally how hard it is to get your CDs played on the radio. It will be a two hour show. I already have a stack of CDs and a lot of interest from French and English speaking musicians.”
Paquette also has a wife and three children, two girls and a boy, aged 14, 11 and five.
I have made a living in acting and music and now in radio without having to leave my home town.
Stéphane Paquette,
actor, musician and Le Loup 98.9 FM radio announcer
He has completed seven albums of blues music, all while working as a custodian for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board for 26 years.Fournier is gearing up for a Haitian benefit concert for the Canadian Red Cross at the Grand Theatre Feb. 26, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance at Jett Landry Music, Records on Wheels and Pro Sound on Paris Street, or $25 at the door.
On stage will be a seven-piece band, including Jake Thomas from The Fundamentals band from North Bay and several horn players from Sudbury.
“I am going to perform some songs which are relevant to the cause. One song I will perform in public for the first time will be One Love by Bob Marley.”
Having his summers off has freed up his time to be able to travel abroad, Fournier noted. After the release of his last album, My Kind of Blues, he toured extensively in Asia. He said he was surprised his album received a lot of radio play in Australia at the time.
Fournier said he is working on new material for another album.
He is expecting to travel to Haiti to help out with a number of non-profit organizations this summer. “I will be teaching harmonica to people there as well as doing some manual labour. The details are just being firmed up,” he said.
