Reginald Vermue is a Canadian

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

singer from

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

, Ontario. Born in

Trenton, Ontario Trenton (2001 population 16,770) is a large community in Central Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the starting point for the Trent-Severn Waterway, which continues northwest to Pe ...

, he has recorded music under the stage names Gentleman Reg and Regina Gently. His musical style has been compared to

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released ten studio albums as a solo artist. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often d ...

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

and

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in ...

. He had a cameo role in the 2006 film ''

Shortbus ''Shortbus'' is a 2006 American erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The plot revolves around a sexually diverse ensemble of colorful characters trying desperately to connect in an early 2000s New York City. ...

''. Most recently he began performing with a new band called Light Fires with James Bunton from the band

Ohbijou Ohbijou was a Canadian indie pop band that was based in Toronto, Ontario. The music of Ohbijou draws on pop, folk and bluegrass influences. History Ohbijou began as the solo project of Brantford singer-songwriter Casey Mecija.Sayej, Nadja. "U ...

, debuting songs in October 2010 at

Pop Montreal POP Montreal is an annual List of music festivals, music festival occurring in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the early fall, usually at the end of September or the beginning of October. More than 400 bands are scheduled to play in more than 50 ve ...

. In Light Fires, Vermue performs in drag, adopting the alternate persona Regina Gently.

Career

His first album, ''The Theoretical Girl'', was released in 2000 on Three Gut Records. He released two more albums, ''Make Me Pretty'' in 2002 and '' Darby & Joan'' in 2004, on Three Gut before the label dissolved in 2005. He subsequently signed to

Arts & Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

in 2008. His first release for that label, '' Little Buildings'' in 2008, was a compilation of tracks from his Three Gut albums. The album was created for release in the United States, where his earlier albums had never secured wide distribution. At the same time, he also released "You Can't Get it Back", an advance single from his first album of new material for Arts & Crafts, ''

Jet Black Brian John Duffy (26 August 1938 – 6 December 2022), known professionally as Jet Black, was an English drummer and founding member of punk rock/ new wave band the Stranglers. He last performed with the band in 2015, and officially retired in ...

'', which was released in full on 24 February 2009. ''Jet Black '' was the first proper studio album that he released in the United States. Members of

Royal City Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

and

The Constantines Constantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. History Constantines was formed in 1999, by vocalist and guitarist Bryan Webb, drummer Doug MacGregor, and guitarist Paul Bright, all of whom had played together in the emo band S ...

have regularly appeared as Vermue's band, live and on recordings, as well as long-time drummer Greg Millson, who now performs with

Great Lake Swimmers Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian folk rock band from Wainfleet, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto. The current touring line-up is Tony Dekker on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica, Erik Arnesen on banjo, electric guitar and Pump o ...

. Vermue was also a member of

The Hidden Cameras The Hidden Cameras are a Canadian indie pop band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "gay church folk music". Their live performances have been elaborat ...

for several years and has performed with

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the ...

, sung backup for

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomina ...

, and often guests with

Owen Pallett Michael James Owen Pallett-Plowright (born September 7, 1979), known professionally as Owen Pallett, is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Under their former pseudonym Final Fantasy, Pallett won the 2006 Polaris Music P ...

. He also appeared on a tribute CD for

The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ( ...

, ''Hellbound'', performing the song "Doe". Songs by Gentleman Reg have appeared in such films as ''

'', '' Wilby Wonderful'', '' Twist'', ''

The End of Silence ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'', '' Late Fragment'', and on the television show ''

Queer as Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * Queer as Folk (British TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * Queer as Folk (American TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of th ...

''. Vermue, who is openly gay, appears in a cameo role in the 2006

John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and t ...

film ''

''. In it, his character claims to be an

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...

— although Vermue is fair-skinned and has very light blond hair, he is not in fact an albino.''

'' DVD director and cast commentary. Songs by Gentleman Reg are featured on the soundtrack of the film. In 2019 Vermue released "Good People", the first single to be credited to Regina Gently as a solo act. The following year he released ''Don't Wait to Love Me'', the first full-length Regina Gently album.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Theoretical Girl'' (2000) * ''Make Me Pretty'' (2002) * '' Darby & Joan'' (2004) * '' Little Buildings'' (2008) (U.S. only release) * ''

'' (2009) * '' Heavy Head'' (2009) (Digital only release) * '' Leisure Life'' (2012) * ''Light Fires'' (2013) * ''Don't Wait to Love Me'' (2020) * ''Songs I Already Sang'' (2024)

Compilations

* "Doe" on '' Hellbound: A Tribute to The Breeders'' (2001) * "05.07.02" on ''Recordings From CKLN's Wired for Sound: 2001–2002'' – a live recording of "Give Me a Chance" * "Over My Head (4 track)" on '' Friends in Bellwoods'' (2007) * "For Trust" on '' Friends in Bellwoods II'' (2009) * "Happens All the Time" (

Eric's Trip Eric's Trip is a Canadian indie rock band from Moncton, New Brunswick. Eric's Trip achieved prominence as the first Canadian band to be signed to Seattle's flagship grunge label Sub Pop in the early 1990s. The band had a minor hit in alternati ...

cover) on ''Have Not Been the Same, Vol. 1: Too Cool to Live, Too Smart to Die'' (2011, as Light Fires)

Soundtracks

* '' Wilby Wonderful'' by

Daniel MacIvor Daniel MacIvor (born July 23, 1962) is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director, and film director. He is probably best known for his acting roles in independent films and the sitcom '' Twitch City''. Personal MacIvor was born in Sydney, ...

, 2004 * ''

'' by

, 2006

Guest vocal appearances

* "Communication" from '' Morning Noon Night'' by Jim Guthrie (2002) * "Library" from '' Has a Good Home'' by

Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...

(2004) * "Bring My Father a Gift" and "Take Me Down to Yonder River" from '' Little Heart's Ease'' by

(2004) * "Reward and Respite" from ''Attic Salt'' by

Kepler Johannes Kepler (27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of p ...

(2004) * "Hotline Operator" from '' Tournament of Hearts'' by Constantines (2005) * "Blizzards" from '' Swift Feet for Troubling Times'' by

(2007) * "In the Beginning" b/w "Stars" from ''Unreleased'' by

Isis Salam Thunderheist was an electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec in Canada. Thunderheist was made up of producer Graham Bertie (Grahmzilla) and Omolola Isis Salam (Isis). The two began collaborating before they had ever met in ...

(2010) * "Smalltown Boy" from ''Cenotaph'' by

Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop rapper. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country ...

(2010)Buck 65 Talks 20 Odd Years EP Series, Gets Gentleman Reg to Help Cover Bronski Beat on Next Instalment
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', 13 September 2010. * "Wait & See" from '' Special Affections'' by Diamond Rings (2010) * "Flare Gun" from '' Heartland'' by

(2010)

As a member of The Hidden Cameras

Reg appeared on several of their albums and singles in different capacities. * ''

The Smell of Our Own ''The Smell of Our Own'' is a 2003 album by The Hidden Cameras. Track listing # "Golden Streams" – 4:28 # "Ban Marriage" – 4:15 # "A Miracle" – 2:50 # "The Animals of Prey" – 4:04 # "Smells Like Happiness" – 3:08 # "Day Is Dawnin ...

'' (2003) * '' The Hidden Cameras Play the CBC Sessions'' (2003) * ''

Mississauga Goddam ''Mississauga Goddam'' is a 2004 album by The Hidden Cameras. The title is an allusion to Nina Simone's civil rights anthem "Mississippi Goddam" (from the album '' Nina Simone in Concert''), suggesting suburbia (Mississauga is a suburb of Toro ...

'' (2004) * ''I Believe in the Good of Life'' CD single (2004) * '' Awoo'' (2006)

References

External links

Gentleman Reg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermue, Reg 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian gay musicians Canadian indie pop musicians Canadian indie rock musicians Canadian LGBTQ singer-songwriters Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian pop singers Gay singer-songwriters Living people People from Quinte West Singers from Ontario Year of birth missing (living people)