Biography
Richard Desjardins, a vocalist and composer whose approach recalls Jacques Brel and Leonard Cohen, remained largely unrecognized through the first two-thirds of his career, beginning with the ensemble Abbittibbi before shifting to solo work. The arrival of his second album, Tu M'Aimes-Tu, in 1990 placed him at the center of thoughtful French chanson. His campaigns for Quebec sovereignty and on behalf of the impoverished and mistreated earned him a reputation as a divisive presence.
Born in 1948 in Rouyn-Noranda, a mining settlement in northwestern Quebec known as Abitibi, Desjardins grew up the child of working-class parents. Exposure to the unchecked extraction of regional resources by large mining and forestry corporations, often enabled by official consent, fostered an environmental awareness and concern for labor conditions that would shape his songwriting and public engagement across his lifetime.
With friends Claude Vendette on saxophone, Francis Grandmont on bass, and Rémy Perron on guitar, he assembled the country-rock and art-rock group Abbittibbi. The band played Quebec clubs from the 1970s until its first breakup in 1982, gaining little traction. An independently issued LP, Boomtown Café, appeared in the late 1970s, yet the wider recognition they sought never arrived.
Desjardins turned to film scoring for regular income and shared directing credit with Robert Monderie on Comme des Chiens en Pacage (1977) and Mouche à Feu (1983). He persisted in writing songs and approaching record labels despite an unpolished look, unappealing features, slightly nasal delivery, socially pointed lyrics, and vivid vernacular speech that placed him at odds with industry preferences. He continued performing in small venues for committed listeners and issued his first solo album independently in 1988. Sales were modest, but community and college stations took notice. Filmmaker Pierre Falardeau, another outspoken Quebec activist of comparable temperament, enlisted him to compose for the 1989 film Le Party; Desjardins took a minor acting part and performed with the reunited Abbittibbi. The resulting visibility led to the independent release of Tu M'Aimes-Tu the following year. Critical praise arrived promptly, and the album generated two hits—the title track and “Quand J’Aime une Fois J’Aime Pour Toujours,” later recorded by numerous artists. Concerts in Montreal and France confirmed his standing as a singular performer and potent songwriter at age 42.
Desjardins reconvened Abbittibbi in 1994 to record new material released as Chaude Était la Nuit. A lengthy tour followed, documented on the live album Desjardins/Abbittibbi Live that showcased his rock catalog. Returning to solo work, he issued Boom Boom in 1998. After a decade spent selecting strongest pieces from a twenty-year body of work, the task of producing fresh songs made clear that the earlier creative intensity had faded. He soon announced a partial withdrawal from regular activity, though he still appears in occasional solo concerts, chiefly in support of social causes.
Born in 1948 in Rouyn-Noranda, a mining settlement in northwestern Quebec known as Abitibi, Desjardins grew up the child of working-class parents. Exposure to the unchecked extraction of regional resources by large mining and forestry corporations, often enabled by official consent, fostered an environmental awareness and concern for labor conditions that would shape his songwriting and public engagement across his lifetime.
With friends Claude Vendette on saxophone, Francis Grandmont on bass, and Rémy Perron on guitar, he assembled the country-rock and art-rock group Abbittibbi. The band played Quebec clubs from the 1970s until its first breakup in 1982, gaining little traction. An independently issued LP, Boomtown Café, appeared in the late 1970s, yet the wider recognition they sought never arrived.
Desjardins turned to film scoring for regular income and shared directing credit with Robert Monderie on Comme des Chiens en Pacage (1977) and Mouche à Feu (1983). He persisted in writing songs and approaching record labels despite an unpolished look, unappealing features, slightly nasal delivery, socially pointed lyrics, and vivid vernacular speech that placed him at odds with industry preferences. He continued performing in small venues for committed listeners and issued his first solo album independently in 1988. Sales were modest, but community and college stations took notice. Filmmaker Pierre Falardeau, another outspoken Quebec activist of comparable temperament, enlisted him to compose for the 1989 film Le Party; Desjardins took a minor acting part and performed with the reunited Abbittibbi. The resulting visibility led to the independent release of Tu M'Aimes-Tu the following year. Critical praise arrived promptly, and the album generated two hits—the title track and “Quand J’Aime une Fois J’Aime Pour Toujours,” later recorded by numerous artists. Concerts in Montreal and France confirmed his standing as a singular performer and potent songwriter at age 42.
Desjardins reconvened Abbittibbi in 1994 to record new material released as Chaude Était la Nuit. A lengthy tour followed, documented on the live album Desjardins/Abbittibbi Live that showcased his rock catalog. Returning to solo work, he issued Boom Boom in 1998. After a decade spent selecting strongest pieces from a twenty-year body of work, the task of producing fresh songs made clear that the earlier creative intensity had faded. He soon announced a partial withdrawal from regular activity, though he still appears in occasional solo concerts, chiefly in support of social causes.