Doobie fans in Europe – France in particular – as well as many Doobie listeners in Canada, are most likely aware of musical living legend Hugues Aufray. Born in 1929, in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly sur Seine, Hugues spent much of his adolescence in a Dominican school in the south of France after the German occupation forced his family to flee their home. To make ends meet, he began singing on the streets for spare change.
Music lovers who have been around long enough to recall the “folk music” era that begat American artists such as Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary may also be aware of Mr. Aufray through his long standing association with these artists.
The Doobie Brothers’ own John McFee can be heard on the newest release by Hugues Aufray, entitled “Troubador Since 1948”, playing acoustic and electric guitars, pedal steel, banjo, Dobro, mandolin, and slide guitar. John says “It was a real honor to be asked to be involved with a project for an artist who has such tremendous heart and soul, and with such a rich history. This man was making music before I was even born, which in itself is saying something since I’ve been in my sixties for a while now. He’s become my idol – he’s energetic, vibrant, articulate in multiple languages, looks great, and is still making beautiful, sensitive music. It was an awesome experience to get to work with such a true gentleman – and having seen some of his sculpture and paintings I would say that the title renaissance man would suit him well – plus, all the musicians I got to work with on the project are fantastic – check out the credits, and it’s like a who’s who of top level international players.”
A couple of bits of trivia that may generate further curiosity amongst those not yet familiar with Mr. Aufray’s work:
- Celine Dion was named by her musical parents after the beautiful and touching Hugues Aufray ballad “Céline”
- Bob Dylan wrote the liner notes for Hugues’ previous album, “New Yorker”
This new album is genuine “world” music, with musicians from many countries around the globe contributing – music truly is the international language…
