Raymond Berthiaume (born May 9, 1931 and died June 23, 2009) was a Canadian jazz singer, musician, producer and composer from Quebec, Canada.
Berthiaume was born in Laval, Quebec, on May 9, 1931. He studied piano and saxophone at College Laval. In 1948, he created an instrumental group named The Three Bars. The owner of the bar in which they performed suggested they select a vocalist, knowing that a singer would make the group more popular. Berthiaume was chosen, and became the group's vocalist. The move seemed to work, and the group was soon hailed as the best in the city. They played in the high-class nightclub El Morocco, where Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Vic Damone had all performed.
In 1954, the music label RCA Victor signed the trio, and they performed the Italian hit N'oublie Jamais (Never Forget), in French. This became a hit for the group, selling nearly 40,000 copies Despite the fame, Berthiaume preferred to spend time in recording studios then on stage.
In 1956, Berthiaume began to record music for advertising, notably Sweet Caporal cigarettes. On the back of this performance, he was in high demand to perform in commercials for other companies.
In 1968, he performed a French cover version of Frank Sinatra's The World We Knew, entitled Un Monde Avec Toi (A World With You), for which he won an award at the "Gala des artistes".
He died of cancer on June 23, 2009, in Montreal (Québec) after being hospitalized for ten days.
Son quatuor vocal et instrumental (1960 – RCA Victor – LCP 1049)
Moins que rien (Less Than Nothing)
Demain, bientôt, toujours (Tomorrow, Soon, Forever)
Que reste-t-il de nos amours (What's Left of Our Love)
Passe ton chemin – À Bali – La vie mondaine (Passed Your Way, at Bali, the Ordinary Life)
Clopin, clopant (Head over Heels)
Sous le ciel de Paris (Under Paris Skies)
Danse avec moi (Dance with Me)
Chantons en choeur (1963 – RCA Victor Gala – CGPS 121)
Je suis seul ce soir (I'm Lonely Tonight)
C'est un mauvais garçon (That's a Bad Boy)
Il est tard mon amour (It's Late, My Dear)