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Born Lucille Marie Raymonde Savoie in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Canada, she was a natural musician who could play guitar, bass, as well as the mandolin. She began her singing career while living in a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia where she was part of a local band. Using the stage name, Lucille Starr, she eventually teamed up with band member Bob Regan both as his wife and to form their own country singing duo called "Bob & Lucille." Between 1958 and 1963 they released several 45 RPM records that were mainly covers of an eclectic mix of fashionable country, pop, rockabilly and folk songs of everyone from Perry Como to Connie Francis. Their records met with modest success on the North American West CoastSee: West Coast of the United States West Coast, New Zealand West Coast, Tasmania. and in 1963 they were signed by A&M RecordsA&M Records is a record label formed in 1962 by Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert. It began its life as Carnival Records in 1961, but after problems with an existing record label of that name, Alpert and Moss changed the name to "A&M. A&M releases were issued in with whom they began recording as " The Canadian SweetheartsThe Canadian Sweethearts were a Canadian singing duo popular during the 1960s until its disbandment in 1977. The duo consisted of vocalist Lucille Starr, and her guitar playing husband, Bob Regan. Often referred to as Bob & Lucille, the duo recorded at a."
At A&M Records in Los Angeles, CaliforniaThis article is about the city in California. For other uses of 'Los Angeles' see Los Angeles (disambiguation The City of Los Angeles widely known by its abbreviation L. is a large coastal metropolis in Southern California in the western United States., Lucille Starr recorded a 45 rpm called "The French Song" that was produced by Herb AlpertHerb Alpert (born March 31, 1935 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician most associated with the Tijuana Brass, a now-defunct brass band of which he was leader. He is also famous as a recording industry executive; he is the "A" of A&M Records with his "Tijuana Brass" playing backup. A hauntingly beautiful ballad of lost love sung in both French and English, the song struck a chord with both country and pop music fans alike. In 1964, at a time when The BeatlesThe Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, " I Want To Hold Your Hand". The Beatles were one of the most influential music groups of the rock era. Initially they affected the post dominated the music charts, "The French Song" was a huge international success that made Lucille Starr the first Canadian female artist to ever have a record sell a million copies. The song took her from near obscurity to the world stage, touring the United States and appearing on the Louisiana HayrideThe Louisiana Hayride was a radio broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 spawned the careers of the some of the greatest names in American music. The show's creators took th radio show and on Chicago radio station WLS (AM) popular National Barn Dance. As well, Starr sang on American television musical variety shows such as Shindig! and Hullabaloo followed by tours of Pacific Rim countries, Australia, South Africa, and across Europe where she became a particular favorite in the Netherlands. The song is reported to have sold in excess of six million copies, earning one platinum and five gold records.
In 1967, Lucille Starr and her Canadian Sweethearts duo signed a recording contract with Epic Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Divorced from her husband, their musical collaboration ended in 1977. Although she never again had a hit of the magnitude of "The French Song," Lucille Starr enjoyed a long and prosperous career recording primarily in English but also in French and Spanish. For the most part she sang country music, becoming the first female inducted into the Canadian Country Music Association’s "Hall of Honor" in 1987. A capable yodeler, she was hired to do the yodeling for the "Cousin Pearl" character on several segments of the hit TV series, The Beverly Hillbillies.
In her honor, a street in the city of Coquitlam, British Columbia was named "Lucille Starr Drive".
Partial discography (albums):