Édith Butler (born Marie Nicole Butler; 27 July 1942) is an Acadian-Canadian singer-songwriter and

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

from

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

’s

Acadian Peninsula The Acadian Peninsula () is situated in the northeastern corner of New Brunswick, Canada, encompassing portions of Gloucester and Northumberland Counties. It derives its name from the large Acadian population located there. Two major islands o ...

Biography

Édith Butler was born on 27 July 1942, in Paquetville. During the 1960s, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts, taught school, and then earned a Master’s degree in literature and traditional ethnography at Laval University in 1969.

Career in music

Her career began in the early 1960s with performances in Moncton. In 1969, she released her debut album, "Chansons d’Acadie," of traditional Acadian songs. This was followed by national appearances on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

's '' Singalong Jubilee'' where she gained popularity and began to receive invitations to participate in various Canadian and American folk festivals. In the early 1970s, she represented Canada at the Universal Exposition in Osaka and performed in over 500 performances across Japan. Following this, she made several musical tours in Europe, notably in Ireland, Germany and the United States. In total, Butler released 28 albums between 1969 and 2021. As of 2019, when she was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Édith Butler had one gold and two platinum records.

Career in theater

Butler also performed in a piece by

Antonine Maillet Antonine Maillet (10 May 1929 – 17 February 2025) was an Acadian novelist, playwright and scholar. Early life and education Maillet was born on 10 May 1929 in Bouctouche, New Brunswick"Antonine Maillet." ''Paroles d'Acadie : Anthologie de ...

entitled "Le tintamarre".

Honours

*Butler was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in June 1975. *She was one of the four musicians pictured on the second series of the Canadian Recording Artist Series issued by Canada Post stamps on 2 July 2009. *In 2009, she received the

Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts. *In 2010, Butler was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 French SOCAN Awards in Montreal. *In 2012 she received the Lieutenant-Governor's Award for High Achievement in the Arts for Performing Arts. *In 2013, she was made a member of the Order of New Brunswick *In 2019, Édith Butler was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

References

External links

Short documentary Edith Butler

Édith Butler official websiteThe Canadian Encyclopedia: Édith Butler
*
Quebec Info Musique: Édith Butler''Édith Butler, Singer'' – Cover story, Atlantic Insight Magazine – December 1979
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Edith 1942 births Living people Canadian women folk singers Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of New Brunswick Singers from New Brunswick Acadian musicians People from Gloucester County, New Brunswick Canadian folk singers French-language singers of Canada 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian Folk Music Award winners Université Laval alumni Governor General's Award winners