WAYNE HEBERT
Wayne Hebert was born, raised and still resides in Rexton, New Brunswick. After August 25, 1950, when he first came into the world, it didn't take him long to start singing; he remembers singing on the swing behind his house with friends. His mother was a big influence on him since his childhood, being a fine singer in her own right. Having 6 siblings didn't hurt Wayne, either; there was always music around.
He was also very athletic, joining Bob Edgett's Boys' Club at age of 14 and doing some boxing around the Maritimes and New York City.
His first "professional" gig was a talent contest that he competed in at the age of ten. He has never looked back since. His first influences were from country music, people like Johnny Cash, Webb Pierce, Hank Williams Sr. and Jim Reeves, to name a few. But the '60's and '70's caught up to him and he was soon listening to the Moody Blues, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Seals and Crofts. He's also a fan of the Maritimes legend Stan Rogers. He says that he met Stan once before he became popular. Like many in the Maritime Provinces, Wayne followed Stan's career until his untimely death at the age of 33. It is quite likely that if you're ever in Wayne's presence, he's apt to spontaneously sing one or more of Stan's songs.
Wayne sang in a number of groups throughout the years. At the age of 16, he sang in a band called the Chimes of Freedom. He sang with Bryce Sinclair, Bruce Noble, R. Biggs and Vincent and Alvin Roach. He also sang for other bands, such as the Back Road Band and Traxx, with Roland Cormier, Pete Gaudet, and Roger LeBlanc.
But it was when he was in the band Locke that his fortunes took a turn for the worse. In 1975, coming from a gig near St. Peter's, Nova Scotia he was involved in a terrible accident that laid him up for a long time. With the insurance money that he received from it, he decided to open a bakery with his wife, Simonne and thus, the Cook Nook was born and still exists today.
Nowadays, Wayne spends time with his wife and takes pride in his two children, Joel and Renee. He still sings now and then, for dinner theater and local live theater, composing songs for them. If you ever have the privilege of hearing him sing live, it is really something to behold. He sings from the heart, sometimes smooth as silk, sometimes tough as nails.
Wayne's contribution to the Motherfeedback Project is his lead vocals on "You're the Cure" and "Am I There Yet?" Thanks, Wayne!
CHRIS COLEPAUGH
Chris Colepaugh is a busy man. He's always working his magic on stage somewhere in the world. He plays just about any instrument you can name and play it well. Although the author of this article hasn't been a witness to his many accomplishments, it was obvious to me that he is a force of nature. I saw him perform at St. James Gate in Moncton one night and was impressed by his virtuosity. I never dreamed that he would record a track for the Motherfeedback Project at the time; I just heard about him through the grapevine. It was Gilles Savoie of the Watermen who suggested that we ask him to record a slide guitar track for us. Well, it fell on my shoulders to approach Chris about it. God knows I was nervous; after all, he has earned some legend status in these parts and he didn't know me from Adam. I went to see him again at the Gate and asked him, giving him a disc to work with. He was gracious and said he'd do it. What he gave us was a sweet, understated solo that Gilles embellished with soft keyboards. If I remember correctly, Chris's contribution was recorded after a gig in Texas somewhere.
Well, wherever he recorded it, those of us who conceived of the Motherfeedback Project are deeply appreciative of his kind gesture. If you want to know more about Chris, visit www.colepaugh.com. Take my word for it, if you're looking for great live music, he's it.
He made his contribution to the song "Halifax Harbour". Thank you, Chris! I hope we can something for you someday!!
GENE BELLIVEAU
Gene Belliveau was born December 2, 1952. He went to Dorchester Consolidated High School. He doesn't say much else about himself, but if you get him talking, he'll tell you stories, all true, that will more than likely have you laughing. One memory that had stayed with him is when a friend's father took him and some other boys to Dorchester Island so they could slide down on the mudflats. It was hard to find anything to do in Dorchester, and he and many other boys like him were in constant search of that elusive Something To Do.
He remembers going to John Amos's house, where he would sit and watch the Mystical Spectrum rehearse. The band (at the time) consisted of John and Armand LeBlanc and Richard Savoie.
He grew up to be a grease monkey and a letter carrier. The latter keeps him fed and the former is a passion of his. Drag racing has been his thing for many years and will probably continue until he can no longer hold a wrench. He raced a '69 Dart in the '70's. Later on, he built a "309 cubic inch for a C/econo dragster", whatever that means. Of course, he is the inventor of Scuzz-Free Grr Juice (a private joke that originated in a broken can of Kool-Aid). Considering the mess things are in nowadays, one would be tempted to say that Gene invented the automatic wave hello and the easy smile. The picture here says it all, really.
In the '70's, a significant event occurred: Richard Savoie became an HB. Being an "Honorary Belliveau" is a high honor. You can be proud to know a man that made it to 2nd Lieutenant in the 8th Hussars. If you bring that up to him, he shrugs it off as if it's not important. The distinction of being an HB seems to be more important to him.
He has two great kids, Jeff and Anne. They are both aspiring musicians; Jeff jams with his girlfriend, Tracey and his daughter Anne Kay's ambition is to go into country music with her own CD. Gene thinks he knows where all this talent is coming from: he plalys the radio very well!
It was in the '80's when Gene became Mother. He was saying goodbye to Richard Savoie when he said: "You're such a good son!" Richard answered, "Yes, mother." And the rest, as they say, is history. Richard calls him every Mother's Day but Gene's still waiting for flowers!
It's worthy to note that he was instrumental in getting Richard Savoie a gig writing a theme song for a sitcom pilot. He happened to know a man named Lawrence Carota who was looking for music and led him to Richard. After watching a rough cut, Richard wrote a song that was immediately accepted and used. The name of the pilot was "Getting to Work".
The music got good reviews! Thanks, Mother!!
Gene's contribution is as a co-writer of the song "Cajun Radio". He helped with the lyrics, especially the French. (Ca c'est beau!!)
Now, he's trying his hand at writing whole verses himself. He says he's composing something for a special someone from the Fire Hall Dance........
ROLAND SAVOIE
Roland Savoie is the most important element in what turned out to be the MotherFeedback Project. It was at his house and with his equipment that the sessions began. Without him, none of it would have happened. Even though, in the end, most of the mixes were done by his brother Richard, it's obvious to anyone who was close to the project that Roland was the one who made it all come alive with his equipment and his steady hand at the recording console. To summarize: no Roland, no MotherFeedback Project.
Roland's musical experience started at the age of three. He was the youngest of a family that loved music and grew up being influenced by his siblings. Jazz was his first influence (thanks to father Nazaire); he listened to such artists as Glenn Miller, Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. Through his mother, his influences were people like Mario Lanza and James Last.
Then he was hit by the rock and roll bug, the biggest influence being the Beatles. By the age of 11, through his siblings, he was already listening to artists such as Led Zeppelin, the Guess Who, Deep Purple and King Crimson. Through friend James Yeoman, he was also listening to Jan Hammer, Frank Zappa, Family, Peter Green and Focus, to name a few.
The Savoie's were always involved in music, whether it was on stage, on TV or radio and, with their father Nazaire at the helm, it all seemed natural. He arranged all their vocal harmonies. Roland still remembers going for walks with his sister Charmaine, singing songs by Paul McCartney, Elton John and Harry Nilsson.
At the age of 17, he joined a band called Rocklyn, which featured his brothers Gilles and Richard and drummer Ivan Boudreau. They played locally and did well but found it hard to get gigs outside of the area because they were playing about 70% original material when audiences were more interested in listening to Top 40 hits. By 1980, he was in a band called Merge, which featured his brother Gilles on keyboards. This band toured the Maritimes and Quebec, doing the Top 40 scene but two of the members, Gilles and Frank St. Lawrence, had families to support and the money the band made just wasn't substantial enough.
Roland went on to play in other bands: Da Boize, First Impression, Rendez-Vous, Broken Dream, Banned For Life and The Agents. Two drummers from those days are on the CD: Ken Killam and Pat Browne.
Throughout the '90's, Roland immersed himself in Christian contemporary music, as well as doing studio work with his brothers Robert and Gilles. He composed with them but Robert was the main writer. In 2004, he bought a 24 recording studio and at that time talked with his brother Robert about doing sessions featuring music by him and brother Richard. Richard wasn't sure about doing it until his girlfriend Vonnie Mann convinced him that it was a good idea. Not long after that, the sessions began.
Roland plays bass, guitar and some keyboards on the album. He also sings lead vocal on "Night City Dreams". In the project's early stages, he did a large part of the production with his brother Robert and Gilles. It was also him who brought in Jana Moore (from Ontario) and Kristin Pollard (from Deer Lake, Newfoundland) to do the vocals on "Halifax Harbour."
