Gilles Sioui: Just an old fool for the blues

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Gilles Sioui is a well-known name in Quebec music circles. He is celebrating 30 years in the business with the recent release of his third CD, Old Fool.

This popular bluesman, whose Huron name means rising sun, grew up in Wendake, the Huron-Wendat community located a few kilometres north of Quebec City.

He was a sportsman on the brink of a university league basketball career when his path took a wild right turn.

His brother Bruno handed him a guitar. Sioui played three chords and was hooked for life. He practiced upwards of 18 hours a day, teaching himself the techniques employed by the likes of B.B., Freddie, and Albert King.

Sioui spoke French at home and in his community, but his music sprung from the English world. Somehow the music just felt right with English lyrics, especially the music he enjoyed most, the blues.

There was turmoil and the pain of oppression in them. They cried from the heart. This he could relate to and so could his fans.

The blues give him comfort when he can't comprehend his fellow man and the hatred that exists in the world. He could sing his pain into his songs, and bring his heavy heart around to believe in a world of hope.

He thinks that the more an artist is in turmoil, feels insecure in the world, the more he will be able to touch the hearts of his audience. And it's all about touching those hearts. It's all about feelings and the ultimate experience that comes from sharing his music with a public who accepts and appreciates it.

Sioui is a gentle, sensitive man, described as a lone wolf.

"Although I love people," said the musician, "I still need a lot of solitude to be comfortable." Once he takes to the stage, however, he becomes the singer-songwriter who needs to connect with his people.

His community is proud of him. He has played lead guitar on more than 40 albums with popular groups and singers, Midnight Riders, Florent Vollant, Kevin Parent and Bob Walsh included. These days, he is performing and working solo. He will be featured in a Global TV special this summer called Gilles Sioui: Wendat Land Blues.

Sioui has a simple down-to-earth style. The songs on Old Fool are mellow, at peace with his past. This album is about clarity: clear vision, clear identity and clear sounds.

He lives in the heart of the old city, visits and connects with his community regularly and has found himself in his Huron-Wendat roots. Son of a chief, he has been exploring his heritage more as time passes. His songs speak of the need to care for the earth.

The album and lead song, Old Fool, are dedicated affectionately to an old friend who passed away two years ago, Germain Rouge Lavoie. Sioui said it was his friend's philosophy that he wishes to honor.

"I really appreciated his vision that no one is higher than another. It's a rare quality to see everyone as equal. I think this was a great quality of his and a sign of wisdom."

Sioui refers to Lavoie in the song as a red star in the sky, watching over us.

The title of the album also refers to the artist himself, who jokes that he too is a fool; a fool for blues.

Longtime Huron-Wendat friend and fan, Pascal Laine , said "Sioui is a real professional, who meticulously sees to every detail of his work, giving it just the right touches."

This new album proves it: the sound is clear, the instrumental work inspiring and the lyrics well-worth contemplating.