TORONTO, February 1, 2016 – The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is excited to announce its first song induction for 2016, Mile After Mile / Mille après mille written by country music singer-songwriter Gérald “Gerry” Joly. To celebrate this induction, JUNO Award winner Élage Diouf pays homage to Gerry Joly with a tribute performance of Mille après mille, as part of our Covered Classics series. A collaboration between the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and CBC/Radio-Canada, Covered Classics invites Canada’s brightest musical talent to perform their own rendition of newly inducted songs. Élage Diouf’s performance can be viewed here
“I’m delighted to have been able to participate in Covered Classics,” says Senegalese-born and Quebec-based singer-songwriter Élage Diouf. “Gerry Joly is one of our country’s greatest songwriters and his music has stood the test of time.”
Mile After Mile / Mille après mille is a rarity – a song that became a chart-topping hit in both French and English for two different artists. Part love song, part introspective query about the meaning of life, Mile After Mile was written by Franco-Ontarian singer-songwriter Gerry Joly in northern Ontario in 1969. It wasn’t until a few years later, however, that the song first gained popularity when it was recorded by country singer Orval Prophet. Mile After Mile debuted on the RPM country chart in September 1971 and established itself there for over three months, attaining the coveted No. 1 position in January 1972 and remaining in the top spot for three weeks.
The next country star to pick up the song was Quebec’s giant of country music, Willie Lamothe, known as “the king of western”. In 1972, Lamothe recorded Joly’s French version of the tune, Mille après mille, where it proved to be the second hit for the Joly composition and firmly established Mille après mille as a lasting favourite of French Canada’s country, pop and folk scenes. Many celebrated Quebec artists have performed or recorded Mille après mille, including Fred Pellerin (solo and as a duet with Céline Dion), Patrick Norman with Renée Martel, and Roch Voisine.
“Gerry would be honoured to have his song inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame” says his widow Eleanor Joly. “It’s quite remarkable that after all these years, Mile After Mile is still being played and performed in both English and French.”
For 2015 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame song inductions, click here.
About the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (www.uatcshf.ca) honours and celebrates Canadian songwriters and those who have dedicated their lives to the legacy of music, and works to educate the public about these achievements. National and non-profit, the Hall of Fame is guided by its own board of directors who comprise both Anglophone and Francophone music creators and publishers, as well as representation from the record industry. In December 2011, SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) acquired the Hall of Fame. The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame’s mandate aligns with SOCAN’s objectives as a songwriter and publisher membership-based organization.
About CBCMusic CBCMusic . ca (www.cbcmusic.ca) is Canada’s free digital music service connecting Canadians with the very best in Canadian and international music, concerts and features. Simple and easy to navigate, CBCMusic.ca gives music fans access to 50 Web radio stations, 12 distinct genre-based music communities, CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3, plus content from the most knowledgeable music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts, playlists and more.
About ICIMusique ICIMusique . ca (www.icimusique.ca) is Radio-Canada’s online music platform. It allows Canadians to stream live radio, and listen to over 150 channels of web radio, albums streaming, special features and music news.
Media contact, to arrange an interview: Christine Liber, Liberty Ink Communications (for CSHF) Christine@LibertyInk.ca, 416-651-4722 x 1
