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The stage name "Boule Noire" appeared when a TV host mistakingly introduced Thurston by his first album "Boule Noire".
Aimes-tu la vie comme moi?
  • Year Inducted: 2008
  • Written In: 1975
Songwriters
Georges Thurston Lyricist
Billy Clements Composer
Phillip Mitchell Composer
Artists
Boule Noire
After playing in a variety of soul/R&B groups in the 1960s, Georges Thurston took a gig as the on-stage percussionist to Quebec singer Claude Dubois and began working as a record producer with Tony Roman.

Equally at home on keyboards, guitar and drums, Thurston wrote and performed with many artists including Robert Charlebois, Nanette Workman and François Guy.

A true French-language soul, disco and funk music pioneer, Georges Thurston first came to prominence with Aimes-tu la vie comme moi ?, a hit song that helped him top Quebec and European charts. His popularity was confirmed with his performance in front of an audience of 300,000 in Marseille, France, where he shared the stage with such prominent artists as Joe Cocker and Weather Report.

Thurston released his first album in 1975 under the title of Boule Noire, a reference to the shape and colour of the fashionable Afro hairstyle he was currently sporting. Incorrectly introduced as ‘Boule Noire’ on a television show by host Pierre Lalonde, the name stuck, and the persona of ‘Boule Noire’ was born.

With its life affirming lyrics and contagious energy, Aimes-tu la vie comme moi ? became a huge hit and earned Thurston a Gold Record in Quebec in 1976. Loto Québec also used it in one of their commercials.

In 1995, Georges Thurston received a SOCAN Classic Award for Aimes-tu la vie comme moi ? for reaching 25,000 radio plays.

In 2006, Georges Thurston learned that he had incurable and inoperable cancer. He donated the song Aimes-tu la vie comme moi ? to the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada. Thurston recorded a moving acapella version of the song for a television commercial to be used as part of a prevention blitz, which garnered two awards of excellence for Cossette advertising agency. Aimes-tu la vie ? is also the title of an autobiographical book that was released days before the musician’s death.

Georges Thurston unfortunately passed away on Monday, June 18, 2007.

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Aimes-tu la vie comme moi? - performed by Toulouse
"Aimes-tu la vie comme moi?", written and composed by Georges Thurston, Billy Clements and Phillip Mitchell, performed by Montreal trio Toulouse at the 2008 CSHF Induction Ceremony.
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    Inducted Songs
    Title Year Inducted Year Written
    (Make Me Do) Anything You Want20191972
    A Guy is a Guy20061952
    À Québec au clair de lune20061959
    Aimes-tu la vie comme moi?20081975
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    Ain’t No Cure For Love20061986
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    American Woman20051969
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    Artistes20081976
    As The Years Go By20151970
    Baie Sainte-Marie20211976
    Big Yellow Taxi20071975
    Bird on the Wire20061969
    Black Fly Song20031949
    Black Velvet20211989
    Bleu et blanc20181976
    Bluebird On Your Windowsill20101947
    Boo Hoo (You’ve Got Me Crying For You)20061937
    Born to Be Wild20031968
    Both Sides Now20071967
    Câline de blues20151971
    Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft20191976
    Canadiana Suite20081963
    Candy20081944
    Chante-la ta chanson20161978
    Clap Your Hands20051959
    Closer to the Heart20101977
    Come Josephine In My Flying Machine20101910
    Comme j’ai toujours envie d’aimer20071970
    Comme un million de gens20081966
    Cool Water20051936
    Dans nos vieilles maisons20071960
    Demain l’hiver20101967
    Des croissants de soleil20071980
    Des mitaines pas de pouces20101931
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    Diana20081957
    Dimanche après-midi20211976
    Drinking in L.A.20231997
    Echo Beach20231980
    En veillant su’l perron20051957
    Everybody Knows20061988
    Far Away Places20051948
    Fare Thee Well Love20201990
    Farewell to Nova Scotia2006Prior or during WW1
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    Four Strong Winds20031961
    Frédéric20051963
    Fu Man Chu20101971
    Gens du pays20061975
    Hallelujah20061984
    Hand Me Down World20171970
    Heart Like a Wheel20081970
    Hello, Hooray20161968
    Help Me20071973
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    Hot Child in the City20191978
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    Hymn to Freedom20081962
    I Go Blind20211986
    I Heard the Bluebirds Sing20151952
    I Just Wanna Stop20171978
    I Saw Her Again20171966
    I Would Be The One20191968
    I’m Movin’ On20031950
    I’s The B’Y200519th Century
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    I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost)20191973
    If You Could Read My Mind20031969
    Il suffit de peu de choses20081960
    Informer20231993
    It Doesn’t Matter Anymore20081958
    It’s Raining Men20211979
    J’ai la tête en gigue20161976
    J’entends Frapper20101973
    Je ne suis qu’une chanson20071980
    Je reviens chez nous20071968
    Je Suis Cool20111973
    K-K-K-Katy20161917
    L’infidèle20081974
    L’âme à la tendresse20191973
    L’adieu du soldat20051941
    La bittt à Tibi20081975
    La Manic20061966
    La maudite machine20211972
    La Parenté20061957
    La vie d’factrie20201962
    Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream20051949
    Last Song20151972
    Le ciel se marie avec la mer20051957
    Le Frigidaire20071970
    Le Labrador20081972
    Le monde a bien changé20221977
    Le petit roi20071970
    Le réveil de la nature20061953
    Le tour de l’Île20061976
    Les ailes d’un ange20101967
    Les nuits de Montréal20061949
    Lest You Forget20061922
    Let Your Backbone Slide20191989
    Limelight20101981
    Lindberg20101968
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    Marie-Hélène20151976
    Mille après mille20161969
    Moi, mes souliers20061951
    Mommy Daddy20151971
    Mon pays20061964
    Morning Dew20181961
    My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style20231991
    My Heart Cries For You20111949
    My Old Canadian Home20071940
    My Sister and I20081941
    My Swiss Moonlight Lullaby20071933
    My Way20081969
    No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature20051970
    No Time20051969
    Notre Place20231989
    O Canada20051880
    Oh What A Feeling20111971
    Opportunity20191967
    Ordinaire20101969
    Paper Rosie20181975
    Paquetville20071979
    Pas Besoin De Frapper Pour Entrer20111977
    Peg O’ My Heart20031913
    Pendant que20061963
    Peter’s Dream20191994
    Play Me a Rock and Roll Song20151968
    Pop Goes The World20201987
    Powder Your Face with Sunshine20061948
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    Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day)20151942
    Put Your Hand in the Hand20061970
    Put Your Head on my Shoulder20081959
    Quand les hommes vivront d’amour20051956
    Québécois20181969
    Rise Up20191983
    S’Nice20061923
    She’s a Lady20081971
    Si j’avais un char20171978
    Si j’étais un homme20171980
    Si les bateaux20061963
    Signs20081971
    Sing High, Sing Low20161970
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    Snowbird20031968
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    Song For the Mira20181973
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    Suzanne20061967
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    Swinging Shepherd Blues20161957
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    The Darktown Strutters’ Ball20051917
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    Ton Visage20071960
    Tumbling Tumbleweeds20051934
    Un canadien errant20071842
    Un coin du ciel20181952
    Un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin20071969
    Une promesse20081957
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    Vivre dans la nuit20211984
    Vivre en amour20151976
    We’ll Sing in the Sunshine20151963
    What a Friend We Have in Jesus20031855
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    When You and I Were Young, Maggie20051866
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    Woodstock20071970
    You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio20071972
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