La Bottine Souriante first appeared on the Quebec music scene in 1976. This remarkable group has released over a dozen albums, several of which are certified Gold (meaning that over 50,000 copies have been sold) and one is Platinum (over 100,000 sold). The group has won dozens of awards and headlined festivals around the world.
La Bottine Souriante is no just a Quebecois/Canadian musical phenomenon. The group and their explosive sound have crossed borders the world over and left in their wake countless enchanted audiences. La Bottine Souriante developed a distinctive sound all its own that successfully allies its homage to tradition with a dash of jazz, salsa, and pure folk, while at the same time perfectly representing the symbol of vitality and pride of its mother culture.
Although La Bottine Souriante has had numerous lineups, the classic lineup was comprised of nine solid musicians, traditionally-rooted members: Michel Bordeleau (foot-tapping, drum, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals); lead singer Yves Lambert (button accordion, harmonica); and Andre Brunet (fiddle, guitar), with jazzmen R?gent Archambault (acoustic and electric bass) and Pierre Belisle (piano, piano accordion) taking up the swing. Since 1990, a four-piece brass section was added featuring Jean Frechette (saxophone and arrangements), Robert “Bob” Ellis (bass trombone), Andre Verreault (trombone), and Jocelyn Lapointe (trumpet).
Aiming and encouraging the inspiration of traditional music, La Bottine Souriante, in 1993, created their own company, Les Productions Mille-Pattes. The label Mille-Pattes represented groups such as La Bottine Souriante, Michel Faubert, Les Charbonniers de l’Enfer, Yves Lambert, Les Batinses, Daniel Roy, Entourloupe, le trio Marchand-Ornstein-Miron as well as Danielle Martineau & Rockabayou.
Discography
Y’a ben du changement (1978)
Les Épousailles (1980)
Chic ‘n Swell (1982)
La Traversée de l’Atlantique (Green Linnet, 1986)
Tout comme au jour de l’An (1987)
Je voudrais changer d’chapeau (Rounder, 1988)
Jusqu’aux p’tites heures (1992)
La Mistrine (Les Productions Mille-Pattes, 1994)
En spectacle (Les Productions Mille-Pattes, 1996)
Xième (1998), also released in the United States as Rock ‘n Reel
Cordial (Les Productions Mille-Pattes, 2001)
Anthologie (Les Productions Mille-Pattes, 2001)
J’ai jamais tant ri (Les Productions Mille-Pattes, 2003)
Anthologie II, 1976-2005 (Les Productions Mille-Pattes, 2006)
Appellation d’origine contrôlée (Borealis, 2011)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
