Ray Seguin to perform benefit concert at The Piggery
Country music fans will be happy to know that there will be a show at the Piggery on Friday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. to benefit the Memphremagog Community Learning Center (CLC). It won’t be the first time that country music people get together to help out and it won’t be the last.
Canadian country singer Ray Seguin has been enlisted to perform at The Piggery and part of the proceeds will go to the CLC.
Christine Hodge, one of the organisers of the special evening, applauded the work done over the years by the CLC, which acts as a bridge between the public and the elementary school.
“We were told that the government would fund the learning center for 5 years then it would have to become selfsustainable. It has now been 11 years this year, since we started the community school and around 8 years since we have had ‘learning center’ status. The Government still supports us to a degree, but we now are faced with fundraising,” explained Hodge, regarding the benefit show.
“Over the years, the learning center has had many worthwhile projects. The Government set us up with a state of the art video conferencing machine. With it, all the learning centers in the province are linked together. So if one of the centers sets up a conference on dealing with Parkinsons and has the foundation in Montreal give the conference, everyone gathers at their own center and we can see each other and interact during the conference. It’s a great learning tool,” she said.
Hodge and her husband, after many years of volunteering, opted to become students and let newer members with fresh ideas take over. But in the fall of 2016 when they heard the center needed funding, Christine Hodge and a couple of friends decided to do a fundraiser, to raise money and bring the learning center back into the public eye.
They organized a fall dance and hired Ray Seguin to play his traditional country music. They had a fantastic turn out, and everyone loved the singer and his music. Last summer he gave a show at The Piggery, people loved him and the place was filled to capacity.
Seguin is the best friend that a classic country song can have. He delivers those songs with equal passion, reverence and a pure country voice. His latest single, titled ‘Slipping Away’ is a beautiful number that comes directly from the heart.
Seguin was born in the small town of Lachute Quebec, where he grew up and lived for 34 years. Even though he was the only one in his family to be musically inclined, he started performing at a very young age.
‘I recall when I was about five-yearsold, the neighbors would ask me to sing a song, and they would give me a nickel once I was finished, so needless to say, I had the urge to sing at a very young age.’
He learned to play the guitar when he was 13-years-old and kept honing his skills. When he turned 17, he formed a band called The Opry Boys, and they played at the local bars and dancehall within 50 miles of Lachute.
“We played traditional country music as well as old rock and roll. We were well appreciated by hotel patrons, and never had a hard time finding gigs. I played with several other bands over the years,” Seguin said.
“But as the drinking and driving laws became more severe, hotels and clubs couldn't afford anymore to pay 4 or 5 piece bands the same money they used to, so things got a lot harder for everyone, including musicians, as our salaries were being cut more and more.”
He then went down to a two-piece band, with the help of electronic machines, like so many other musicians.
“After a few years, it was becoming harder again to survive on only a twopiece band’s salary, which basically would hardly cover our gas money to get there and back. Eventually, I ended up becoming a one man show, with digital tracks and that is what I have done for the last 10 years,” the singer explained.
“I am now going on my 45th year of performing. I enjoy singing traditional country music, and I am trying so desperately hard to keep the names of all the legendary country singers who have passed away alive a little longer,” stressed Seguin.
Seguin said he would like people to remember those pioneers of country music, who made a difference in so many people’s lives over the decades. “This is why I continue to do what I do, rather than play golf.”
The country singer was strongly influenced by Merle Haggard, however, it was a combination of Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Hank Snow, that defined his style of singing.
“Currently, I have 3 original country songs that are being aired on AM/FM stations in the USA, and my most popular one right now is a song called ‘Slipping Away’, which was written for me by songwriter Larry A. Granger.”
Lately he has also been signed by an Indy record company called Echota Records in the United States.
Seguin now resides in L'orignal Ontario near Hawkesbury, at the Ontario/quebec border. He has spent the last 28 years with his beautiful wife and number one fan, Rita.
“This past winter, I performed at the ‘Orange Blossom Opry’ in Weirsdale, Florida on five different occasions. I have been asked to do a three-month American bus tour across various states next summer. We are working on the details of getting all of that together, with a 10 piece band,” he said, about upcoming plans. He hopes the tour will be an opportunity to promote a new album that is almost ready for release..
Seguin also plans on writing new traditional country flavored songs with Larry soon. “Right now, I am getting ready to perform in a few country festivals, as well as perform at The Piggery, in North Hatley June 1.”
Here are two good reasons to attend, a good cause and an excellent country singer performing in our so perfect Piggery. The tickets are $20 per person and are available through Christine at 819847-2769 or Patsy at 819-843-7687.
Tickets purchased through CLC representatives benefit the learning centre.