2003 Entertainer Inductee

Bobby Lalonde

       Born in the Ottawa Valley, Bobby, the youngest of four brothers, grew up surrounded by various musical influences.  He began playing the fiddle at the age of eight and within a short time, the family band, “The Four Sons” was formed.  By the time Bobby was 13, he had been signed to London Records of Canada, had won the North American Junior Fiddle Championships, and was a much in demand musician for studio, television and live performances.  At the age of 15, Bobby was featured with Stompin’ Tom Connors in the movie, “Across This Land”. 

    For a time, Bobby became  a “rocker” with the band, “Garolou”, but his fiddle roots took over, and he formed  his own “Bobby Lalonde Band” which subsequently won Back-up Band  of the Year twice.   Bobby himself was a three-time winner of Instrumentalist of the Year and also was awarded Fiddle Player of the Year in the All-Star Band category.  Numerous nominations for Group of the Year, Single of the Year, and Song of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association added to Bobby’s and the band’s fame.

     Bobby’s song writing talents have also been recognized with two No. 1 records and several top ten hits.  To date, he has fourteen albums to his credit and has performed with Tom Cockran, Kenny Rodgers, Ricky Skaggs, Waylon Jennings, Joe Diffy, George Jones, Johnny Cash and many other greats.  Bobby’s many appearances have included the famous Havelock Country Festival, Power Aid Live at Ottawa’s Corel Centre, the St. Tite Festival, the Gatineau Clog, the National Arts Centre, Canada Day on Parliament Hill, and an invitation by Pierre Trudeau to perform at the Montebello Economic Summit for Eight World Leaders with Leona Boyd and Diane Juster, as well as tours in Holland, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, countries where the band received rave reviews, recorded a live album, and appeared on several TV and radio shows.  Bobby also co-hosted his own TV show with Ronnie Prophet and hosted many prestigious events, including the Canada Day Festivities at Queen’s Park in Toronto. 

    An accomplished musician and record producer, Bobby plays several instruments, including fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, drums, bass and piano.  As well, he owns and operates Bolab Studio Productions, a world-class recording studio.  Currently, Bobby fronts a live variety show, “The Bobby Lalonde Show” which features the talents of five musicians and three step dancers and includes the powerful vocals of Tammy McRae, strong country vocalist Dusty King Jr., multi-talented keyboardist and vocalist Eric Sauve, and solid drummer and percussionist Norman Couture.  The dance group “Celtic Pride” features Bobby’s nephew, 18-year-old Jason, his niece, 17-year-old Jenna, and his 12-year-old daughter Kelita.  Bobby’s wife, Joy, is, of course, his biggest supporter and fan.