- Georges Thurston
Infobox Musical artist
Name=Georges Thurston
Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Alias = Boule Noire
Born = birth date|1951|12|29
Died = death date and age|2007|06|18|1951|12|29
Origin = flagicon|CanadaBedford, Quebec
Genre =Reggae , R&B,Dance
Years_active = 1965–2006
Label =Magique ,Zion Yant George Thurston (
December 29 ,1951 -June 18 ,2007 ) was aQuebec singer ,author andcomposer and radio show host. He was known as Boule Noire since 1975 and worked in the music industry as a solo artist for nearly 30 years and as part of musical groups for 5 years.Early years
Born in
Bedford, Quebec [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=bb412699-2f70-45d1-8e34-fbb463ea8e20&k=97669] , Thurston later moved toSaint-Jerome, Quebec , where heformed his first band in 1965 called les Zinconnus and produced R&B music, his favorite musical genre. In 1969, he moved on to join the 25th Regiment band and remained with the group until the early 1970s.In the 1970s, he worked with several other Quebec artists including
Robert Charlebois ,Claude Dubois ,Tony Roman ,Nanette Workman andMichel Pagliaro . He played the piano, bass and guitar. He would later be a composer for the group Toulouse.olo career
Thurston's solo career started in 1976 when he released his first solo album titled "Boule Noire". It included his first hit "Aimes-tu la vie?". During his 30-year solo career, he produced at least 14 albums in both English and French. His first English album, entitled Premiere, was recorded in 1980.
Thurston was one of the prominent figures in dance and R&B music in Quebec during the 1970s and 1980s and covered songs by other artists including the
Beatles hit Let it be in 1995. He also represented Canada at several international music festivals includingMarseille in 1976 andUCLA in 1988.Thurston's 1978 album "Aimer d'Amour" was certified triple
platinum . The title song would later gain success in the early 1990s when 800,000 copies were sold in Europe. [http://www.qim.com/artistes/biographie.asp?artistid=504]Thurston became a radio show host for
Montreal 's Rythme FM radio station in 2000.Biography book
Just prior to Thurston's death he released his autobiography called "Aimes-tu la vie?" after his first hit single. He revealed that he had often been disliked and mistreated. He also said that during his teenage years he nearly became a criminal, but that music helped him to survive through tough times. [http://www.canoe.com/divertissement/livres/nouvelles/2007/05/11/4172266-pc.html] [http://www.radio-canada.ca/arts-spectacles/livres/2007/06/12/003-biographie_georges_thurston.asp]
Death
Thurston died of
colorectal cancer onJune 18 2007 in Montreal. He learned of his cancer in early 2006. He finished recording his last album later that year after extensive chemotherapy operations ( [http://lcn.canoe.com/artsetspectacles/general/archives/2007/06/20070618-085920.html] ).Bilbiography
* "Aimes-tu la vie?" - autobiography (2007)
Discography
"Source": [http://www.qim.com/artistes/albums.asp?artistid=504]
* "Boule Noire" (1976)
* "Les années passent" (1976)
* "Aimer d'Amour" (1978)
* "Il me faut une femme" (1979)
* "Love me please love me" (1980)
* "Premiere" (1980)
* "Primitif" (1980)
* "Boule Noire Reggae" (1982)
* "Le tour des îles" (1987)
* "Résolution" (1991)
* "Soul Pleureur" (1992)
* "Let it be" (1995)
* "Réunion" (2003)
* "Last call" (2006)External links
* [http://www.qim.com/artistes/biographie.asp?artistid=504 Biography of Georges Thurston]
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