Jay was born in January 1962. Native of the Lower Laurentians, he spent his childhood there. At a very young age music became his passion, his reason for living. At the age of five he held his first musical instrument, a violin, given to him by his grandfather. A few years later, his mother gave him his first guitar.
In 1974 he joined his first band as a bass player and singer. When the group let him perform for the first time in front of a live audience, this sparked his love affair with the public. At the beginning of the 80s Jay moved to Ottawa. He sang for several groups regardless of their style, thus acquiring a wide musical repertoire. Soft rock, dance, pop and country, all styles merged. Jay enjoys singing and being on stage. He feels privileged to be able to reach out to his audience. Between bars, festivals and private parties, Jay discovered he had a passion and knack for writing.
In 1994 he went back to his home town. Jay then joined a percussionist and together they decided to work on their shared dream - to make their compositions known. Meanwhile the duo entertained with a wide variety of music which appealed to the nightlife. In 1999 the death of his friend and partner disrupted everything; a break was imperative. An intense period of writing and composing followed for Jay.
From 2000 to 2004, Jay volunteered in several projects in his region. Singer/soloist in a gospel choir, he considers this to be one of his most enriching experiences. He was also sought out by a musical comedy troop. He had to blend song, dance and the theatre and he rose brilliantly to the challenge. He participated with distinction in a presentation of the “Big Bazar” by Michel Fugain which earned him a leading role in a musical entitled ‘Le courage d’un peuple exilé’: an original work re-enacting the deportation of Acadians.
In 2004 Jay decided to finally make his first CD. It was 4 years in the making while still appearing at numerous festivals throughout Quebec in 2005-2006 and appearing on the telethon “Enfant Soleil” where he performed his song “Mon Cheval de Fer”, a song that Jay composed for a young boy afflicted with cerebral palsy. Jay quickly related to this song having a son of his own who was born with severely deformed feet. Since his son, Marc-Antoine, received treatment for several years at the Montreal Shriners Hospital, Jay decided to present his song to the Hospital. Moved by this story, the Shriners invited Jay to perform his song at a Shriners Circus. That was 3 years ago and since then Jay has been singing his song at all the Circus shows along with his son Marc-Antoine. Together they tell their story and explain to the audiences the importance of the Hospital Shriners in their life and in the lives of other sick children.
Finally this year Jay is ready to make his songs known and his determination to help the children hasn’t stopped growing. It is therefore with great pleasure that he’s introducing to you his first CD entitled “Mon Cheval de Fer”. Jay is also proud to let you know that for each CD sold he will donate $2.00 directly to the Montreal Shriners Hospital to benefit the children. Jay will also donate $1.00 to Alexandre. Because without him the inspiration for this beautiful story would not exist.
Thank you Alex!
Today Jay is finally realizing his dream.
