2010 Inductee - Fred Ducharme

Born in Ottawa in 1953, the youngest of ten children, Fred grew up in a musical family who all either sang or played an instrument.  His father was a talented fiddle player who played the local hotels and would play the fiddle while little Freddy tap-danced on the kitchen table.  His father passed away when Fred was six years old, and his mom was left to raise the six kids remaining at home. The whole family would sing and harmonize every time they got together, so the music bug was planted at an early age.  With the help of his older brothers, he mastered the guitar by age 14 and played along at family functions. 

At 17, Fred joined a newly-formed group, the Travellers Four, playing rhythm guitar and was soon the lead guitar player and back-up singer.  Later, with drums and bass guitar now in his repertoire, he joined Ron McMunn’s band, an association that would last for over 17 years.  Fred has also played in groups backing up Neville Wells, W.R.D. and Ralph Carlson at many local jamborees and concerts, and he was the lead singer in the band, Fenced In, which opened a number of concerts for Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Michelle Wright and George Hamilton IV. 

Fred’s musical talents are heard on more than a dozen CDs recorded by local artists, and he sings one of the songs he’s written, "Nothing Else to Lose", on "Real Country", a compilation CD with a number of other local entertainers.  Always striving for a different sound, Fred started his own band, Ninth Line, a few years ago, and they are in demand throughout the Ottawa Valley.

Fred retired at 50 from his day job with the City of Ottawa, where he worked for over 28 years.  Married for 37 years, Fred and his wife, Sharon, have one son and a little grandson.