Jean Guy Grenier on a French Canadian classic

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 18 May 2011 8:35 am

Jean Guy does a heck of a job backing up Roch Voisine and the late Willie Lamothe ( hologram duet ) on 'Mille apres Mille' ( Mile after Mile) This song is almost an anthem for French language country/pop music. If you've played country music in any bar in Quebec or northern New Brunswick you've surely been asked to play this song. I just wish I could do the steel guitar part as well as Jean Guy did here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H01bMXNIFfI

Incidently, would anyone know who did the steel work on the original Willie Lamothe recording?

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 19 May 2011 10:14 am

What a beautiful song! Anyone who requests it must have good taste

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 27 May 2011 6:58 pm

I have no French, but isn't this song just Gentle on My Mind?

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 28 May 2011 4:05 am

Dan, somewhat similar in places, but not quite.
The title translates to Mile after Mile.

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 28 May 2011 7:51 am

Quelle main droite, Jean Guy!

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 30 May 2011 3:57 am

I have no French, but isn't this song just Gentle on My Mind?

No Dan, as Bent says, the melody may be somewhat reminiscent of Gentle on my Mind but the lyrics are comepletely different. I tried unsucessfully to see which song came out first. However, Gentle on My Mind is from 1967 and a stroke ended Lamothe's career in 1977 so there's a reasonable chance that Mille Apres Mille predates it.
I'd still like to know who played steel on the original. I wondered if it may have been Buddy Ackers. In any event, Jean Guy Grenier absolutely nails the original licks and then expands with a bunch of tasty stuff of his own.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 30 May 2011 4:35 am

Songs with smilar chord changes as this one:
"Everybobdy's Talkin'" by Nilsson.
"Fools Rush In" by Rick Nelson.