Gilles Sioui

For most of his musical career, Canadian guitarist Gilles Sioui remained in the shadows, accompanying Quebec rock and blues artists such as Kevin Parent, Kashtin, and Bob Walsh before launching his own career in 1997 as a talented folk singer in the vein of early Neil Young and J.J. Cale. Gilles Sioui was born February 15, 1957, in Huron Village near Quebec City, Canada. Son of a tribe chief, he was heading for a career in specialized education and professional sports when he discovered a passion for the guitar at age 21. Dropping everything, he became a session musician, quickly gaining an impressive reputation in the business but keeping away from the public eye. He played on stage with the Stephen Barry Band (who supported tours by Big Mama Thorton and Big Moose Walkers in the 1980s) and then recorded important albums by Quebec rock star Kevin Parent, seminal native pop/rock band Kashtin (and singer Florent Vollant when the band broke up), and Canadian blues icon Bob Walsh. In a friend's kitchen, Sioui recorded his first album with the Midnight Riders as backing band in 1997. He released it semi-privately and the 1,100 copies sold out by hearsay while he was playing on other artists tours throughout Canada, Europe, and the U.S. The album caught the attention of Parent's manager Bernard Caza who decided to give it an official release on the label Productions BYC in June 2000. In November of the same year, Sioui released the fully produced CD Rising Sun, which marked the debut of his public career as a solo artist and was warmly welcomed by the Canadian press. © François Couture /TiVo