La Bolduc
La Bolduc, born Mary Travers in June 1894 in Newport, Quebec, was a prominent Canadian folk singer-songwriter known for her contributions to Quebec's music scene. Raised in a bilingual household, she primarily sang in French and began her musical journey at a young age by entertaining neighbors and family. After moving to Montreal at thirteen to support her family, she developed her skills in playing various instruments, including the accordion and fiddle. Her professional career took off in the late 1920s when she joined the folklore group Les Veillées du bon vieux temps and later secured a record deal.
La Bolduc's breakthrough came with her hit song "La cuisinière," where she cleverly incorporated comedy to reflect everyday life. Throughout the 1930s, she toured extensively, establishing her own troupe and gaining popularity among francophone audiences. Despite facing personal challenges, including a serious car accident and health issues, she continued to write music until her death in 1941. La Bolduc is remembered for her influential works, such as "Les souffrances de mon accident" and "Ça va venir découragez-vous pas," which resonate with themes of resilience and community spirit. Her legacy remains significant in Quebec's cultural history.
Subject Terms
La Bolduc
Singer-songwriter
- Born: June 4, 1894
- Birthplace: Newport, Quebec
- Died: February 20, 1941
- Place of death: Montreal, Quebec
Contribution: La Bolduc was a Canadian singer of the 1930s. She was particularly popular among the francophone community in Canada and New England. La Bolduc was known for performing humorous songs about daily working-class life and referencing current events, such as the birth of the Dionne quintuplets and the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, in her music.
Early Life and Education
Mary Travers Bolduc, also known as La Bolduc, was born in June 1894 in Newport, a town in the Gaspé region of Quebec. She was raised bilingual but sang primarily in French. One of twelve children, she only attended school for a short time before moving to Montreal at thirteen to find work in order to alleviate some of the financial burden on her family.
Career
When La Bolduc was a child, she sang and played music to entertain her neighbors. She learned to play the accordion, fiddle, and harmonica. She also entertained her father and his coworkers with her music when she worked as a cook in their camp.
After she married and started a family, her husband, Édouard, was frequently out of work. Needing to supplement their income, she found that she was able to earn a living through her music.
Her professional music career began when she got a job playing the fiddle in the folklore group Les Veillées du bon vieux temps (Evenings of the good old times) at the Monument-National in Montreal. She started writing song lyrics for the Compo Company and was offered a record contract with them in 1929 to produce five 78 rpm records. The first three records consisted of traditional folk music and were not very successful. Her first major hit was “La cuisinière” (The cook), in which she began using comedy to describe daily life.
La Bolduc started performing on stage more and was offered a position singing at the Lachute in Quebec in November 1930. Audiences were pleased with her performance, and La Bolduc began thinking about performing concerts of her own music. In early 1931, she took a job performing at the Théâtre Arlequin de Quebec. As a result of this performance, she was invited to join a three-month tour of Quebec with Juliette d’Argère’s company. Due to the Great Depression, she did not produce any records between 1932 and 1935, but she used this time to make appearances in small towns. This led her to create her own traveling troupe, La Troupe du bon vieux temps (Good old times troupe). Her troupe was very successful among the francophone population in Canada, and in 1933, she traveled to the northern United States, where she also found success.
In 1937, she was involved in a car accident while on tour. The doctor who examined her after the accident found that she had a cancerous tumor. Even after the accident, she continued to write songs, including “Les souffrances de mon accident” (The sufferings of my accident). La Bolduc continued traveling with her troupe until 1940, when she became too weak to continue.
Personal Life
Mary Travers married Édouard Bolduc in 1914. The couple had thirteen children but only four survived to adulthood. La Bolduc died in 1941, at forty-six.
Principal Works
“La cuisinière” (The cook), 1929
“Ça va venir découragez-vous pas” (It’ll come, don’t get discouraged), 1930
“La Bastringue,” 1930
“Nos braves habitants” (Our brave residents), 1931
“La chanson du bavard” (The chatterbox’s song), 1931
“L’enfant volé” (The stolen child), 1932
“Les Américains” (The Americans), 1932
“Sans travail” (Without work), 1932
“Les cinq jumelles” (The five twins), 1935
“Le nouveau gouvernment” (The new government), 1936
“Les souffrances de mon accident” (The sufferings of my accident), 1939
“Tout le monde a la grippe” (Everyone has the flu), 1939
Bibliography
“La Bolduc: A Part of Our Heritage.” Historica-Dominion.ca. Historica-Dominion Institute, n.d. Web. 29 July 2013.
“La Bolduc (Mary Travers).” Celebrating Women’s Achievements. Library and Archives Canada, 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 July 2013.
“Madame Édouard Bolduc (Mary Rose Anne Travers), Folk-Singer and Songwriter (1894–1941).” Virtual Gramophone. Library and Archives Canada, 15 July 2010. Web. 29 July 2013.
Site Mary Travers Dite “La Bolduc.” Mary Travers Museum, 2010. Web. 29 July 2013.
Versailles, Claire. “Bolduc, La.” Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation, 2012. Web. 29 July 2013.