Réginal Charles Gagnon, also known as Cayouche, was born in 1949 in Moncton. At the age of 13, he relocated to the Boston suburbs with his mother. When he turned 18, he was drafted into the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1967 to 1970. Although he took part in the Vietnam War, his role was restricted to unloading boats. He has stated that he did not actively participate in the conflict, never shooting anyone.

Following his military service, Cayouche returned to Massachusetts and spent a decade there before moving back to Canada in 1979 at the age of 30. For the next eight years, he led a nomadic life, traveling with his backpack and guitar.

In 1994, at 45 years old, Cayouche self-produced his debut album, “An Old Hippy,” in a Caraquet studio while living in a small house in Burnsville, a village near Paquetville. He and his friend Jean-Marc Dufour formed a production house together.

Cayouche’s first album, featuring western influences reminiscent of Johnny Cash, Paul Brunelle, and Willie Lamothe, received mixed reviews but resonated with the community it represented. The album drew inspiration from the daily lives of Acadians in New Brunswick, with popular tracks such as “Le p’tit Jeep à André,” “Export “A”,” “Le bon vieux temps,” and “The chain of my tractor.”

Over the following nine years, Cayouche alternated between touring Acadian towns and villages and recording three more successful albums. His fame as a singer-songwriter extended beyond New Brunswick, and he performed in Quebec and northern Ontario, particularly in smaller towns and areas with significant Acadian populations.

By 2006, Cayouche had sold over 100,000 copies of his four albums, making him one of Acadia’s most successful popular music artists in history.

Discography:

An Old Hippy, 1994
Half and Half, 1996
Roll, Roll, 1999
Last Call, 2003
The Recall, 2011
Best Toune in Cayouche 2019 

Cayouche now lives in Maisonnette on the Acadian Peninsula.

Resource: CAYOUCHE 

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