1755 (band)

1755 (pronounced seventeen fifty-five) is an Acadian band formed by Kenneth Saulnier, Pierre Robichaud, Roland Gauvin, Donald Boudreau and Ronald Dupuis.[1] The band was named after the Great Deportation of 1755, during which Acadians were deported from Acadia (present day Maritimes), and was active from 1975 to 1984.[1] After they broke up, every member of the band went on to work on solo albums, or joined new bands such as Les Méchants Maquereaux.

1755
Origin	New Brunswick, Canada
Genres	Folk, Country, Rock
Years active	1975– Present

1755 combined folk, country and rock, with traditional folk song lyrics, or original compositions from the band members or from Acadian poet Gérald Leblanc.[2] The most of the songs are performed in the French dialect of south eastern New-Brunswick, known as "chiac", but some compositions are in English as well. The group is considered an icon of modern Acadian culture,[1] and is credited for launching the modern Acadian musical scene at the international level and for influencing several Acadian artists and bands that came after them, such as Fayo or Dominique Dupuis.

Although officially broken up since 1984, 1755 often reunites to perform shows and summer tours, especially during Acadian-related festivities such as National Acadian Day.[1] A particularly notable show was at the Moncton Coliseum, during the first Acadian World Congress in 1994, which was filmed and turned into a live album Les retrouvailles de la famille and a video release on VHS and DVD.

Herménégilde Chiasson wrote that 1755 was "much more than a band" but rather "the chant of a generation" and that their songs and lyrics remain the "testimony of a period of tension and affirmation".[3]

Discography

1978: 1755

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Hallo Joe" (Instrumental)	Traditional	2:10
2.	"C.B. Buddie"	Pierre Robichaud, Roland Gauvin	3:47
3.	"Confession"	Pierre Robichaud	2:30
4.	"La Toune À Louis Arsenault" (Instrumental)	Traditional	1:50
5.	"Le Monde Qu'on Connait"	Gérald Leblanc, Roland Gauvin	3:12
6.	"Maudite Guerre"	Folk song, but 1755 reprised Zachary Richard's version	6:38
7.	"Rue Dufferin"	Gérald Leblanc, Roland Gauvin	2:40
8.	"Boire Ma Bouteille"	Gérald Leblanc, Roland Gauvin	2:01
9.	"U.I.C. (Unemployment Insurance Commission)"	Pierre Robichaud, Ralph Williams	2:12
10.	"Le Monde a Bien Changé"	Gérald Leblanc, Pierre Robichaud	2:30
11.	"Geddap Sam"	Traditional	2:36
12.	"Vie de Fou"	Gérald Leblanc, Pierre Robichaud	1:30
13.	"Je Chante Pour Toi"	Gérald Leblanc, Pierre Robichaud	2:32
Total length:			36:08

• 1979: Vivre à la Baie
• 1982: Synergie
• 1994: Les retrouvailles de la famille (live)
• 1999: Yousque T'es Rendu?, re-release of Synergie

Awards and honors

• At the 2008 East Coast Music Awards, 1755 received the Dr Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award for their musical contribution.[4]

References

1. "1755: History – The Musical Group 1755". Université de Moncton. Archived from the original on 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
2. Roy, Martin (13 December 2017). "Les chansons de 1755: Un legs et un devoir de mémoire". L'Acadie Nouvelle. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
3. Chiasson, Herménégilde. "Les chansons du groupe 1755: Biographie". Distribution Plages. Retrieved 2020-04-09.

Further reading

• Duguay, Roland (2002). L'épopée 1755. Éditions de la Francophonie. ISBN 978-2-923016-01-6.
• Le Groupe 1755 (2017). Les chansons du groupe 1755. Éditions de la Francophonie. ISBN 978-2-89627-521-2.

External links

• Kenneth Saulnier's website
• Pierre Robichaud's website (in French) (Hacked as of August 2010, try in the meantime to access the rest of the site)
• Roland Gauvin's website (in French)