Édith Butler

Acadian-Canadian singer-songwriter and folklorist

Édith Butler OC ONB (born Marie Nicole Butler, 27 July 1942) is an Acadian-Canadian singer-songwriter and folklorist of from New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula.

Biography

Édith Butler was born in Paquetville on the Acadian Peninsula in Gloucester County, New Brunswick. During the 1960s she obtained a Bachelor of Arts, taught school, and then earned a Master’s degree in literature and traditional ethnography at Laval University in 1969.^[1]

Career in music

Her career began in the early 1960s with performances in Moncton. In 1969, she released her debut album, "Chansons d’Acadie," of traditional Acadian songs. This was followed by national appearances on CBC Television's Singalong Jubilee where she gained popularity and began to receive invitations to participate in various Canadian and American folk festivals.^{[citation needed]}

In the early 1970's she represented Canada at the Universal Exposition in Osaka and performed in over 500 performances across Japan. Following this, she made several musical tours in Europe, notably in Ireland, Germany and the United States.^{[citation needed]}

In total, Butler released 28 albums between 1969 and 2021. As of 2019 when she was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Édith Butler had one gold and two platinum records.^[2]

Career in theater

Butler also performed in a piece by Antonine Maillet entitled "Le tintamarre".

Honours

Butler was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in June 1975.
She was one of the four musicians pictured on the second series of the Canadian Recording Artist Series issued by Canada Post stamps on 2 July 2009.^[3]
In 2009, she received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.^[4]
In 2010, Butler was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 French SOCAN Awards in Montreal.
In 2012 she received the Lieutenant-Governor's Award for High Achievement in the Arts for Performing Arts.^[5]
In 2013, she was made a member of the Order of New Brunswick^[6]
In 2019, Édith Butler was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

References

^ "Montréal's Édith Butler is an Icon among Acadians". Georgia Straight. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
^ "Édith Butler". Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
^ Canada Post Stamp Details, July to September 2009, Volume XVIII, No. 3, p. 6
^ "Édith Butler biography". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
^ "2014 LGA Winners". artsnb. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
^ "2013 Order of New Brunswick recipients". 18 August 2010.