Unreserved54:35Ray St Germain: the man, the music and the proud Metis
For 50 years, Glory St. Germain had a front row ticket to her life with Winnipeg’s Elvis, musician Ray St. Germain.
Ray St. Germain died on June 25, at the age of 83, after living with Parkinson’s disease.
St. Germain was a loud and proud Métis songwriter and musician born in Winnipeg, who performed with the likes of Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers, and was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
He was known for his television show, Big Sky Country, and was the host of the Métis Hour X2 on NCI-FM for 23 years.
Through songs like The Métis and I’m Mighty Proud I’m Metis, St. Germain created a musical legacy rooted in his identity, and worked to uphold and empower other Indigenous musicians.
Glory spoke to Rosanna Deerchild, host of Unreserved, about the decades spent by her husband’s side that were filled with music, laughter and love.
Let’s start at the beginning of your amazing love story. Take me back to that day at the Miss Manitoba pageant.
Oh, I remember it like it was yesterday. He was singing The Girl from Ipanema and I was modelling in the fashion show. I still remember I was wearing a yellow dress.
He just looked at my eyes and I looked at him, and I just thought his dimples were so amazing and his voice just captivated me. That’s how we met.
What was your favourite thing about Ray?
He was the love of my life. We hugged every day. I told him a million times a day I loved him and he did me. And we used to have this little thing where we’d hug no matter if it was in the hallway or wherever.
We used to play this little thing like who’s the first to let go? And so sometimes the hug would be a while because, like, I’m not going to let go first.
But I think it was just that he was such a genuinely wonderful person and he did care. He cared about his family. He cared deeply about me. He always said, “I’m so proud of you” and even when he took his last breath he still said, “I love you, I love you.”
It’s kind of what keeps me going sometimes.
Some fan favourites include his songs I’m Mighty Proud I’m Métis and The Métis. What can you tell us about his pride in being Métis — how did he discover that about himself?
He was sort of an amateur photographer, taking and developing pictures. He happened to develop a picture of his grandfather and he looked at the picture and he thought, my grandfather looks Native, what is this all about?
So he went to his mother and showed her the picture and he asked if they had First Nations blood, and his mom said, “Well, actually, yes, you’re Métis.”
Then he really started to go back into his roots to discover where he came from. And all of a sudden, things started to make sense for him. He really wanted to know more about himself.
He was very proud to be Métis. And back then it was like, “Shh, don’t say anything.” But he said, “Are you kidding? I’m going to tell the world who I am!”
We’ve heard from a lot of people saying that Ray made them proud to be Métis at a time when there was a lot of shame around claiming that culture and identity. Why do you think he was so loud and proud about it?
I think it’s because he often felt different.
When he wrote the song You’ll Know That It’s Me, it came from really learning about the heritage and he was proud of that. And it was always about encouraging young people to speak their mind to be proud of who they are.
On June 11, a street in Winnipeg was named in honour of Ray — Big Country Way, after the show he hosted for so many years. He sang beautifully for the occasion. What does that moment tell us about Ray?
Oh my goodness, you know he was always the consummate professional.
And even though he wasn’t well, I brought his suit jacket. And I wanted to make him feel like the man that he deserves to be recognized as.
He always sang It’s Now or Never. That was his signature closing song.
At this point, even as we were driving to the event, he could barely speak. It was very quiet. He hadn’t eaten in a week. We knew that things were declining rapidly, but it was an honour that he could be there.
As all of our children were there performing; Ray said to me, “I want to sing.” So I wheeled him over beside my son David, and he asked Ray what he wanted to sing and he said, It’s Now or Never.
Then all of a sudden it was like he was transformed back to being 50 years old, and he just went into this performer mode. And the fact that he hit the money note at the end, I was in shock.
Ray St. Germain, a Winnipeg-born Métis country music legend, performed a song alongside his family and fans Friday as the street in the St. Vital neighbourhood where his childhood home is located was given the honorary name Big Sky Country Way, after St. Germain’s national network television show, which ran for 13 years.
And he was then just so proud of himself that — one more time is what he said to me. One more time. And then we got back in it, right.
Then he said we have to go. And then we got back in the van and went back to the hospital and he had to go right to bed. Then a week later, he passed.
He was so proud to be able to have that street signing on St. Michael’s Road, which is where he grew up and it’s also where all of his family is buried.
What do you want people to remember about Ray?
Other than the music and his love of his family, I think to remember that anything is possible. He was always encouraging. He’d tell me how proud he was of me and the kids.
I would love it if you can, you know, turn on some Ray St. Germain’s music and turn it up loud and then dream big and then just go do it. Don’t wait for something to happen to you. You have to take a step.
That’s why he did what he did. And that’s why he accomplished all that he accomplished — is he stepped forward.