Amos Jardine Bio to come.
Leo Cormier, the sixth in a family of 11 children, was born at Acadieville, a small northern New Brunswick village, in 1946. It is a community that through the years has gained a reputation as a stronghold of traditional Acadian, bluegrass and country music.
Leo’s father played harmonica, his mother accordion, and most of Leo’s siblings played musical instruments. Leo mastered an older brother’s guitar and accordion while very young. When he was 12 his father bought him a mandolin, which he soon added to his musical arsenal. Leo’s interest then turned to the fiddle, which became his great passion – he then began borrowing his uncle’s fiddle to learn and to practice on. At 18 he purchased his own fiddle and was soon playing local house parties and dances, becoming a weekly fixture at fiddle jams and concerts around Rogersville. He further honed his skills with various groups throughout the 1990’s.
In 1993 he was invited to participate in the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Contest at Nepean, Ontario. Despite the loss of a finger in a workplace accident, in 1997 Leo won the Maritime Open Fiddle Contest, adding it to many New Brunswick titles won in the 90’s.
Prior to Leo’s moving to Bathurst in 1991, fiddling had become virtually a dying art in the Chaleur area. He rekindled that flame, and in 1994, founded the Chaleur Fiddlers, causing many former fiddlers to dust off their instruments. Leo recorded his first album in 1997 and a second one in the winter of 2000.
Al Hebert is only the second person to be elected to the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame because of his work promoting country music through media. Born in 1940 at Bathurst, he began his radio career in 1959 with CKBC Radio – first as a continuity writer – then as host of a daily country music show.
In 1966 he was appointed sports director, and in 1970, program director, while continuing to do a full time “on air” shift. He was also station manager for a time.
He has received many citations for his work with sports and service clubs. In 1988, he was elected Broadcaster of The Year by the Atlantic Association of Broadcasters.
Through most of his broadcast years, Al promoted country music with a weekly radio program called Country Gold.
As an ardent supporter of local events, his name has become synonymous with both country music and the sports scene in the Bathurst area. Although he is now retired from radio after nearly 40 years, he continues to be involved with both, as well as many local service organizations and charities.
PAGE TWO of 2001 INDUCTEES CLICK HERE
