Jean-Guy “Chuck” Labelle:
Bilingual Singer / Songwriter / Entertainer
Given Name: Jean-Guy “Chuck” Labelle.
Date birth: March 18, Pisces.
Birthplace: Mattawa, Ontario.
Style: Country Rock
Instruments played: Guitar, piano, bass.
With a musical family background, Chuck decided, after experiencing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show that music would be his way of life. He learned to sing harmony before he actually sang lead parts. He owned his very first electric guitar at the age of eleven and at thirteen years of age, he started his first band playing high school dances, parties and later on, local bars.
In 1969 Chuck played in a group, with his brother and cousin, called MUSKEG. They were a vocally strong band and played pop music. He then moved on to a new group called Mocombo. This band played top 40 and packed halls everywhere they went. These were amazing years of playing.
In l978, Chuck began writing and composing his own music in a Rock Group called CHILD. The music was progressive and aggressive and mostly original. The group evolved into a Pop Rock Francophone group called Mokombo, a 4 piece vocally exciting group. The group then evolved into a Country-Rock band called Rodéo Drive. The band toured for almost 5 years and became very popular. Chuck, after 5 years on the road playing bars, felt he had hit a wall and could not get out and play his favorite venues, concerts. He left the band and went on to build a solo career that he had never expected would go so well. He has done extremely well in the French Music Industry. Chuck has three French albums in his roster with 45,000 album sales as an independent artist. He starred and hosted a TFO television series “La boîte à chanson d’aujourd’hui” and many television specials across Canada. He’s been chosen to compose many theme songs for special events such as The 1996 Special Olympics, the new “College Boréal” in Sudbury, Ontario, the Centennial Song and the Millennium Song for his community plus many theme songs for elementary schools while touring and giving workshops.
Chuck decided to expand his career into the English Country Music Industry. In 1999, he released two singles to the European market and was nominated at the ECMA 1999 Awards Nominations in the independent category for Song of the Year “The Cowboy/Le cowboy”, Artist of the Year & Male Vocalist of the Year. He went on to record a new album, which three of the songs were recorded in Nashville with producer Randall Prescott of Rip Roar Music Inc, a Juno Award nominee and several times recipient of the CCMA Producer Of The Year. His single “Times Are Changing” and “I Want To Be A Millionaire” were released to radio and entered the Top 100 ‘CANCOUNTRY HITS with positive reactions.
In September 2000, Chuck was invited by The Sudbury Regional Development Corporation and Heritage Canada to be Northern Ontario’s Cultural Ambassador at EXPO 2000 in Germany.
With his multiple talents and personality, Chuck continues to do what he loves best, entertaining and singing for his fans.
Hour Magazine says …..
“Labelle is a breath of fresh air… a harbinger of things to come”
Chuck’s story: I have a wonderful career. I started out playing along with my mom, brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts. Everyone had to sing or play something at family parties, or you would wind up going to bed cause you were a party pooper! I learned to sing harmony, play guitar and tell jokes at a very young age. I absolutely loved it. My first band was 3 guys plugged into the same amplifier and my brother Gerry as lead singer up front with no microphone. Wow what a mess, but we didn’t know any better. My Mom was an awesome singer and she spent a lot of time with me, singing. As the years went by, I started different bands and we would rehearse till all times of the night. We had a rehearsal space right in the living room at home. Mom would lose the furniture and allow us to practice till we were dead tired..awesome. My dad would go up to bed around 10:00 p.m. cause he was a construction worker and he never once complained about the noise. Had a great Dad. Mom used to make food for the band after we finished rehearsal, no matter how late. She loved being around us and also never once complained about having no furniture in the living room. Had a great Mom.