PIERRE DUBE
Quebec's Early R&R Scene to CD Production on Vancouver Island

by Barry Newman w/Janice Dube
Copyright 2001 - Cosmic Debris Musicians Magazine - Issue #72 - April, 2001

Pierre Dube, 2001 Situated on the Island Highway just a couple of blocks from my office in Cobble Hill lies Blackstone Studio. This rustic, but fully-equipped digital studio features a funky stage & a cozy audience area (dare I say a "dance floor"). I recently attended a couple of live recording sessions and have begun work on my next CD here.

Pierre Dube, his wife Janice and daughter Ashley all participate in various aspects of running the studio... however Pierre is the technician behind the recording, mastering and CD production. After a while, I began to realize that he has a quite an interesting background, worth sharing with the readers. Janice offered to compile some notes for the magazine:

Pierre was born in the bayous of Quebec's deep south. Music was always a big part of his family' life, with virtually all members of his family playing some kind of instrument. Pierre learned to play anything that was about the house... guitars, pianos, accordions, banjos and improvised instruments... washtubs, washboards, spoons, bones.... down-home Acadian style!

Pierre's true mentor was his Uncle, Jean Paul LaRose, a professor at Montreal's Conservatory of Music. Jean Paul was an internationally-known violinist and he also played with the Montreal Symphony. It was at Jean Paul's studio that Pierre had his first studio "gofer" jobs, at the age of eight. One such job was to remove the threads from the 78-RPM plates while they were being scratched.

At age ten, Pierre's family moved to St. Henri, a suburb of Montreal (the wrong side of the tracks?). While lying in bed at night, Pierre could feel and hear a heavy beat coming from somewhere nearby. Pierre decided to find the source of this music and he snuck out at night and followed his ears. He discovered in the basement of a nearby button factory, a group of black folks jamming the blues. Peering through a ventilation fan, he could get a great view from behind the stage. Pierre really liked the music, quite different than the homemade Acadian he was used to. He returned for several nights.

One night he was listening and right into the music when suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Pierre spun to find an enormous black man confronting him. He began to tremble and stammer, not knowing what to expect. The man laughed and escorted him inside. He was led through the crowd, people laughing and patting him on the back as he walked, and was brought to the stage. Wishing he'd brought a clean pair of shorts, he struggled to understand what the man was saying to the crowd, but Pierre did not yet speak English. Whatever it was, it brought gales of laughter and applause. He was then seated at a table and served a Pepsi. He politely listened to a few numbers and quietly made his exit, too embarrased to return. This was Pierre's first taste of the blues. The 200-seat club was known as The Black Bottom.

Pierre played guitar and sang and had a musical comedy duo with Andre Herbert. They were quite successful on the youth talent circuit. With this act, Pierre had his first live radio gig at CBC Radio Canada. He was only fourteen.

Also on the circuit was a very young Rene Simard who later went on to host his own National TV show on CBC.

Pierre attended St. Joseph's Catholic School and earned a scholarship at The Montreal Conservatory of Music. Unfor-tunately, family finances dictated that he get a 'real job' and so he took a machinist apprenticeship.

At the machine shop where he worked he met Rene Lapage, an electrician apprentice and fellow guitarist and songwriter. Machinist and electrician put their heads together and built an interesting assortment of guitars and basses and experimented with sheet metal and other assorted properties to create new sounds. They were probably the first band in Montreal to have an Echolette Machine... hence the name of their band, The Echomen.

Pierre and Rene were both primarily guitarists but swapped bass duties. Members varied, but usually included a bassist, a drummer and either a sax or keyboardist.

They quickly gained popularity and were signed by Champagne Records and joined The Musicians Guild of America. They enjoyed solid bookings including live radio & TV gigs... and custom tailored suits by Montreal designer Andre Raymond. One TV gig was an appearance on the Pierre Lalonde Show, Quebec's answer to American Bandstand (some may remem-ber a CBC show in the 70's called 'Circus' hosted by Pierre Lalonde).

Their single was an original tune 'Petite Michel' and their album, with a definite Booker T / Ventures influence, consisted of covers such as 'Walk Don't Run', 'Green-sleeves', 'Green Onions', 'Sleepwalk', 'Tequila' and some originals. Relatives say that 'Petite Michel' can still be heard on occasion on Montreal's Oldies station. An alternate guitarist from this band was also an alternate for Bill Haleys' Comets.

Meanwhile... Pierre was also working virtually on a daily basis as session player for recording, mostly at Champagne Records, Stereo Sound Studios, and at RCA (Montreal). He played guitar, bass, keyboards and sang. He also assumed virtually all studio duties imaginable... acoustic design, recording, record manufacturing, audio production, etc.

Pierre toured with various acts and filled in for performances. He opened for Bo Diddley and Englebert Humperdink and played venues like the legendary Esquire Show Bar and The Peppermint Lounge. He also backed Jeanette Roneau (probably Quebec's most successful singer next to Celine, Jeanette performed at Canada's CTV 2000 New Years Celebration). Many of the studio gigs were to translate popular English songs into French versions for radio play.

One of his most memorable recordings known outside Quebec was the legendary Viscounts' single, 'Harlem Nocturne'. A moving, 'less is more' version, Pierre played both bass & guitar (with tremolo) accompanied by drums and sax. I recently heard this track on a movie played on Showcase TV and I was able to track down some copies of he '45 through a U.S. Vintage Vinyl dealer.

At a conservative estimate of one '45 and/or album per month, over a span of ten years, his vinyl credits number well over 100 !!

He became close friends and songwriting partner with CJMS DJ Giles Brown, and became a member of CAPAC, now SOCAN. When The Beatles came to Montreal in '64, Giles was scheduled to cover the press conference and Pierre was invited along. He didn't get a personal introduction to any of the Fab Four, but he was close enough to Ringo to observe him sizing up the elaborate buffet spread and hear him quip, "Where's the chips!"

Pierre also completed three years of university ed as an audio/visual technician at Arcan Quebec Institute of Technology & Film Industry. He attended Woodstock and is "pretty sure" he saw Jimi and Janis!

Despite the success of the Echomen and the release of their self-titled album, Pierre left the act to join 'Les Gitans' as bassist. He was familiar with this band as drummer Robert Brown, Giles' younger bro, also played on 'Harlem Nocturne'. This band leaned towards a big south-of-the-border R&B sound. The band released three singles making the charts, written by P. Dube / G. Brown (still heard on Montreal's oldies station). The band, well-known in Quebec, was booked to join a tour of hot young U.S. acts which included Joey Dee, The Rebels, The Rivieras and Bobby Day (of Rockin' Robin fame). The promoters found the band's name "too French" for the tour and billed them as 'The Chads'.

Bobby Day & The Midnighters As it turned out, Bobby Day wound up without a band. The Chads filled the bill and wound up doing their own set as well as backing up Bobby. They really hit it off, and at the end of the tour the band was signed with RCA (New York), and billed as Bobby Day & the Midnighters. Bobby had recently enjoyed phenomenal sucess with his 'Rockin' Robin' LP & single, so this was a great pairing of acts. The band commuted to RCA studios in NYC for six months, recording their album. This first project was to consist of mostly R&B and Soul covers such as 'Land of a 1000 Dances', 'Mustang Sally', 'Night Train', and 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag'.

While at RCA, James Brown was recording with his band. The Midnighters were invited to come and listen to the session. James' bass player asked Pierre if he wanted to sit in. This session was recorded and Pierre had the recording engineer print him a copy. James was playing keyboard at this session but not singing. Of course the studio was packed... imagine the horn section. The instrumental session was dubbed "Boogaloo".

Pierre and Bobby spent a lot of time together in New York, where Bobby introduced Pierre to the legendary saxman Steele Austin. They attended James Brown's show at The Peppermint Lounge and guested themselves there with Joey Dee & The Starlighters... Pierre on guitar ,and Bobby singing with Joey. There they played 'The Peppermint Twist' (Dee/ Glover), with Joey... at the place of the song's and the dance's origin.

Unfortunately the project was doomed. In the early 60's, racially-integrated bands were fairly rare. Not everyone was ready for that. One venue actually cancelled the band upon arrival, when they discovered the singer was black (after they travelled to northern Quebec in winter)! At the same time, the Harlem crowd was more than a little aprehensive with Bobby's band of white boys! As a result, the three other Midnighters, except Pierre, abandoned the project (painfully close to completion), returning to projects in Montreal.

Pierre loved NY and thought the project was the best sound he ever had. He and Bobby tried to reform the band, but in the early 60's were a little ahead of their time.

Pierre was disapointed and discouraged on return to Montreal. He continued to have lots of studio work and wound up doing a lot of commercial type stuff, which was mostly C&W (yes... Quebecois C&W)! He wound up in a trio named Cavalier de L'est (The Eastern Cowboys!?).

This act's guitarist, Roger LaCoste had been a founding member of Los Lobos and was a world-class flamenco guitarist, whose claim to fame was playing 'Flight of the Bumble Bee'.

Pierre's heart was not in the style of the music despite the quality of the players and the release of their album. He was feeling "sold out & burnt out" and left for BC in '69, not planning to play professionally again.

While working at a 'real job' as a painter in Williams Lake in the mid 70's, Pierre fell in with Mathias, a rock cover band. They were quite solid, covering Nazereth, Golden Earing, Deep Purple... opening for Sweeny Todd when they came to town.

In the 50's & 60's there were two ways to make an album. You either needed buckets of money (studio time was around $125 per hour) or you got a record deal.

Pierre not only made albums and singles with three of his own bands, but many albums as a session musician and as a backup musician for many established artists. Quebec is a very large province and has a huge musical community. Few break out of Quebec; even fewer into the States.

Pierre spent in-between years as an industral painter... mega structures such as ships, mills, hydro surge towers, bridges... and have you seen the Beacon Tower on Naniamo's waterfront? This is said to be the Island's tallest building. Pierre painted its exterior. It was a deathwish job (he has taken early retirement for health reasons).

He also obtained a pilot's licence and flew Cessna's, ultra-lights and hang gliders. An awesome arial photo (purchased by McDonalds Tobacco and used in maga-zines and billboards) was taken of Pierre flying an aerobat ultra-light...

Pierre and wife Janice spent seven years running a harness shop from their current location. When deciding to close the shop after the birth of their daughter in '93, it didn't take long to transform the space into a music studio.

Pierre got hooked again on music in '96, when his teenage stepson took up guitar. He'd always hung onto his Ovation, his Strat, his ancient Gretch bass and Fender Jazz bass. The great thing, now that he has paid his dues, is that he can play on his own terms and just enjoy it. The bonus is that there is a great appreciation for blues and R&B here on the Island; and he can concentrate full time on his music.

Pierre's dream was always to own his own studio, and the past five years have been spent building his 1200-square-foot facility, building the recording & sound systems and updating his knowledge to include today's digital format.
The studio offers full service onsite digital recording, live or layered recordings, one-off's, demos, or full length CDs... with computer mixing, mastering, remastering, virtually unlimited effects and tracking capabilities. The studio also offers CD label & jewel case insert design... and a roster of quality session players.

Pierre is currently working on a house band with and also co-writes songs with his wife Janice. For info on BLACKSTONE STUDIO visit: blackstonerecordings@home.com or phone: (250) 743-7671 in Cobble Hill.


Other websites by the Publisher / Cosmic Debris:
Islands Folk Festival / Cowichan Folk Guild
Guy Langlois "Ambiance"
Monte Nordstrom
Toby Nilsson
Mary Egan
Special Woodstock
Helmut Teunissen
Minstrels Music
Corry / Shakey Reay Suter
Need A Website?
Need a website click here Website Services



Website by: Guy Langlois - Webmeister/Publisher Cosmic Debris, 610 Lambert Ave, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 3N8