Karl Tremblay

Karl Tremblay, singer, songwriter, video game developer (born 28 October 1976 in Montreal, QC; died 15 November 2023 in Terrebonne, QC). Karl Tremblay was best known as the lead singer of the country- folk rock group Les Cowboys Fringants — widely considered the most influential and popular Quebec rock band of the 21st century. The band has sold more than 1.3 million albums and won 19 Félix Awards, including six for Group of the Year (2003, 2004, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2023), three each for Alternative Album (2002, 2003, 2005) and Rock Album (2012, 2016, 2020), and one for Best-Selling Album of the Year (2020). Tremblay’s untimely death from cancer in 2023 at the age of 47 was mourned as a national tragedy in Quebec, similar to the reaction to the death of the Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie in English Canada.

Formation of Les Cowboys Fringants

Karl Tremblay was born in Montreal and grew up in the suburb of Repentigny. He met Jean-François Pauzé, who would become the chief songwriter and guitarist for Les Cowboys Fringants, in a hockey rink locker room in September 1994. Both had completed a hockey training camp and were members of the Jets de Repentigny, a local junior-B team. Both were naturally timid, so they didn’t actually speak to one another until the following January, when Karl, who was looking to form a band, discovered that Jean-François played guitar. The duo wrote their first two songs together — “Gaétane” and “Les routes du bonheur” — in February 1995.

How they came to embrace their unique folk-country sound isn’t clear. Pauzé recalled that he thought it might have started as a joke, given that they were both more interested in grunge music, which was popular in the early 1990s. They played their first show at a country-western bar in the nearby community of Charlemagne, and shortly after that performed on a local community access cable show. According to Pauzé, they were not very good.

The rest of the band’s initial lineup came together soon after and was set by 1996. Other members included multi-instrumentalist Marie-Annick Lépine (who would later become Tremblay’s partner), bass player Jérôme Dupras and drummer Dominique Lebeau.

In the late 1990s, well before they had major radio airplay or a hit record, the band was already quite popular in Repentigny and the surrounding area. Their involvement in an amateur contest at La Ripaille in Repentigny helped solidify their homegrown fanbase. The band produced three albums between 1997 and 2000: 12 grandes chansons (1997), Sur mon canapé (1998) and Motel Capri (2000).

Career Highlights

While Motel Capri was the group’s first big album, their follow-up in March of 2002, Break Syndical, was a massive success that ushered in an era of “Cowboymanie.” The single “Toune d’automne” was the first big hit from the album and became one of the band’s signature songs.

This era included a performance at Montreal’s Jarry Park in front of 8,000 spectators, and a tour of Montreal that included performances at many prominent Montreal venues. The band reached new heights of popularity during this time when they sold out the 20,000-seat Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens and one of Montreal’s largest concert venues.

Over the course of their career, Les Cowboys Fringants became well known for their socially conscious lyrics. Tremblay was also well known for his interest in environmental issues. According to the band, they have planted about as many trees as they have sold albums.

The band has won 19 Félix Awards, including six for Group of the Year (2003, 2004, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2023), three each for Alternative Album (2002, 2003, 2005) and Rock Album (2012, 2016, 2020), and one for Best-Selling Album of the Year (2020). By 2023, the band had sold over 1.3 million albums worldwide. The band was also nominated for three Juno Awards: two for Francophone Album of the Year (2003 and 2021) and one for the Fan Choice award (2021). Over the course of Tremblay’s life, the band issued 11 studio albums, with the most recent — Les nuits de Repentigny — in 2021, while Tremblay was undergoing cancer treatment.

Video Games

In the mid-2000s, Tremblay’s love of video games became known to a broader public when he began a regular stint on Quebec music television channel MusiquePlus commenting on and critiquing video games. In 2016, he opened Triple Boris, a video game production company. Tremblay was also a big fan of board games, and owned a board game bar and an adjoining store specializing in board games in his hometown of Repentigny.

Illness

In January 2020, Tremblay underwent hernia surgery, during which time he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The news of his illness was not immediately made public. Tremblay announced he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments in 2022.

Despite the diagnosis, he and the band continued touring and performing as much as his illness would permit. This included performing in front of 90,000 fans on the Plains of Abraham in 2023 during the Festival d’été de Québec, Quebec City’s massive summer music festival. The 2023 edition of the festival was actually extended by one day to allow Les Cowboys Fringants to perform, as their initial performance was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Tremblay and the other members of Les Cowboys Fringants received the Medal of Honour of the National Assembly from Nathalie Roy, president of the National Assembly of Quebec, in May 2023. In September 2023, fans travelled from across Quebec to the town of Saint-Tite to see what would be the band’s final show. The band’s music was also included in a musical comedy production called Pub Royal, performances of which were occurring at Montreal’s Théâtre Maisonneuve at the time of Tremblay’s death.

Death

News of Tremblay’s death came as a shock in Quebec, given his relatively young age. Statements were issued by Quebec premier François Legault and by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Flags were lowered to half-mast to honour Tremblay and the band he led for 28 years. Upon the news of his demise, fans held impromptu vigils in several cities across Quebec, including a large public gathering at Montreal’s monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier. He was further honoured at a Montreal Canadiens game shortly after his death. On 24 November, the Quebec government announced that a national funeral would be held for Tremblay at the Bell Centre in Montreal on 28 November.