The Man Who Walks
First, the Séguin Years
Richard Séguin was born in March 1952 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Québec.
With his twin sister Marie-Claire, he wrote his first song at age sixteen, Som Séguin. Around that time, he left college to take to the road and form the group La Nouvelle Frontière. The band performed at the Monchanin cultural centre and released two albums: La Nouvelle Frontière and L’Hymne aux quenouilles.
In 1970, the Séguin siblings officially formed the duo that would become a cult group for an entire generation. That year they performed extensively in Québec’s “boîtes à chanson,” opened for Gilles Vigneault at Le Patriote and for Les Cyniques, and appeared alongside Joni Mitchell and Peter, Paul & Mary at the benefit concert Amishqua in support of the Cree Nation of James Bay. There they performed Som Séguin, denouncing the humiliating trusteeship imposed on Indigenous peoples.
In 1972, they released their debut album Séguin, were named Group of the Year, and embarked on a 180-show tour from Montréal to Vancouver. Radio-Canada devoted a television special to them.
Working outside mainstream show business, the Séguin duo continued their path. In 1973, they opened for Diane Dufresne at Place des Arts and performed in France during the Semaine de la poésie et de la chanson, where they were named Best Québec Group.
Their second album, En attendant, followed in 1974. They appeared at the Super Franco-Fête Festival and performed at Théâtre Outremont with Félix Leclerc. In 1975, they released Récolte de rêves, their third album. At the height of their influence in 1976, Richard and Marie-Claire chose to pursue solo careers. The duo gave a final performance at Théâtre Outremont and released their last album together, Festin d’amour, reflecting their enduring values of justice, tolerance, and freedom.
Then, Other Collaborators
Since 1970, Richard Séguin has consistently prioritized artistic encounters and collaborations—initially with Gilles Valiquette and Richard Grégoire, later with Raoul Duguay.
In 1976, he began working with Serge Fiori, a collaboration that led to the landmark album Deux cents nuits à l’heure(1977). That fall, ADISQ honored the Séguin-Fiori partnership with three Félix Awards: Songwriter-Performer of the Year, Group of the Year, and Album of the Year.
In 1980, Richard Séguin released his first solo album, Richard Séguin. After touring Québec and performing in French cultural centres, he began working closely with novelist and poet Louky Bersianik. Together they created his second solo album, Trace et contraste (1981), which earned him three awards at the Festival de Spa: the Grand Radio Prize for French-language programming, the Joe Carlier Prize for Best Music, and the Grand Prize of Spa for Best Song with Chanson pour durer toujours. That same year, he won Second Prize for Young Song at the World Festival of French Song.
After a voluntary retreat in the Appalachian region in 1983, he returned to the stage at the Festival Boréal in Sudbury and toured cafés and cultural centres throughout Québec. Following another pause in 1984, he reemerged for the 450th anniversary celebrations with an unforgettable acoustic performance alongside Claude Gauthier and Maxime Le Forestier.
From America, Always
In 1985, he released Double vie, his third solo album, earning widespread critical acclaim and being named Personality of the Week by the press. The album won the Félix Award for Rock Album of the Year, and Séguin received the Félix for Songwriter of the Year. By 1987, Double vie had remained among top sellers for over 50 weeks.
A major turning point came in 1988 with Journée d’Amérique, which won the Félix for Best Pop-Rock Album. The album sold over 100,000 copies and was certified Platinum. The accompanying tour was a major success, earning him multiple awards, including the Golden Ticket from ADISQ.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Séguin continued to tour extensively, win prestigious awards, and release critically acclaimed albums including Aux portes du matin (1991), which became Gold within weeks of its release. That year became known as “the Séguin year,” as he received five Félix Awards and numerous distinctions from La Presse, SOCAN, and touring organizations.
In 1993, he released the live album Vagabondage, recorded across Québec, along with a television documentary titled Sous un ciel immense. His song Aux portes du matin was named one of the ten most-played French-language songs on radio.
He continued collaborating widely, producing albums for other artists, exploring visual arts and engraving, and participating in large-scale cultural events such as La symphonie du Québec during the FrancoFolies de Montréal.
Subsequent albums—including D’instinct (1995), Microclimat (2000), Solo, and Lettres ouvertes (2006)—confirmed his lasting impact on Québec’s musical landscape. L’ange vagabond became a SOCAN Classic, and Microclimat won the Félix for Contemporary Folk Album of the Year.
“Richard Séguin brought Québec folk-rock to its highest level.”
— Alain Brunet, La Presse, March 1996