Madame Mary Travers Bolduc

In a small Quebec fishing and lumbering town in Newport, Gaspésie, Mary Travers was born into a large family of English descent. Although there was very little musical knowledge in her family, her natural talents could not be ignored: she learned to play the fiddle, harmonica, accordion and the Jew’s harp on her own.

At the young age of 13, Mary left home to work as a domestic in Montreal. In 1914, she married tradesman Edouard Bolduc and together they started a large family. To provide for her growing brood in a time of economic hardship, Mary turned to music.

She was first hired as a fiddler for the musical show Veillées du Bon Vieux Temps, in 1927 and it was during this time that Mary began a recording career. Unknown to her, Mary’s recordings of La Cuisinière and La Servante were issued on 78-rpm discs by the Starr recording label and sold an unprecedented 12,000 copies in Quebec alone. From these songs, her voice was heard throughout Quebec and she soon became universally known to her fans as “La Bolduc.” Historically, she is regarded as Quebec’s first “chansonnière.”