A Quebec teenager becomes an internet sensation 45 years later

A 1981 television performance by Serge Veilleux has found millions of new admirers on social media

Here’s a very Canadian story that happened just before the start of Thanksgiving.

A social media user, @arugulapiquante, posted an old video clip on X on Oct. 8 with the following description: “Canada would have no culture without Quebec.” (That’s inaccurate, since many provinces have contributed to Canadian culture, but it’s simply a matter of opinion.) It featured what seemed like a young boy with loads of personality and confidence singing an upbeat French-Canadian song to an enthusiastic TV audience.

The original X post has already received over 2.5 million views as of this writing. It’s been posted and reposted numerous times on social media. There’s near-unanimous consent that it’s been one of the most enjoyable moments circulating on the internet in recent days.

Who was the young singer? Where did the clip come from? Did this appearance lead to a career in arts and entertainment? Is there more to this story?

The overall picture has since become much clearer.

To begin with, this is a clip from the Quebec-based television show Soirée canadienne. The popular weekly variety program, hosted by Louis Bilodeau, ran from 1960 to 1983 on Télé-7 and TVA’s Télé-Métropole. Bilodeau and his team visited several villages in different regions each week, found several local acts and rehearsed with them. Once the participants had been chosen, some of the villagers headed to the CHLT studios in Sherbrooke and served as audience members during the taping.

Soirée canadienne, which means “Canadian Evening,” was a staple in many Quebec households. Repeats have been broadcast on the Quebec-based French-language specialty television channel Prise 2 since 2006. Its reach outside of Quebec was more limited. The show was later broadcast in Ottawa, which made sense due to its geographical proximity. WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire, also picked it up, giving this long-running program the unique distinction of being the first French-language show in Quebec to be broadcast on an international network.

There have been several video clips of Soirée canadienne that have circulated on social media over the years. Joël Legendre’s 1976 performance was posted on YouTube in 2014, for instance, and has sometimes appeared on X.

Nothing compares to the most recent viral moment, however.

The widely circulated clip shows Serge Veilleux performing a traditional Québécois folk song, “Le Docteur Guérit-Tout” (The Cure-All Doctor), in 1981. It’s a cumulative song based on a patient’s visit to a doctor with swollen body parts — nose, ear, finger, arm and stomach. The doctor’s remedy? Cut each body part off, and the song repeats with the newest one listed first. Hence, it’s constructed in a similar fashion to “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” but in a far more absurd situation!

The show that featured Veilleux and other local acts was broadcast from Ascot, which was located near Sherbrooke and has since been amalgamated. He was either 15 or 16 years old when he performed the folk song. His short stature made him look much younger than his actual age. A longer version of his 1981 performance included a short interview with his family that revealed the reason: he apparently had a kidney transplant about four years earlier.

Veilleux clearly had an abundance of talent. He performed “Le Docteur Guérit-Tout” like a seasoned veteran: strong voice, excellent timing and a gregarious personality. The positive reaction from the Ascot community in the audience matches what he has received online from social media users.

This is Veilleux’s only known performance on a public stage. He never went on to have a music or acting career. No interviews of his Soirée canadienne appearance are readily available on the internet. If there were any small articles in local community papers and magazines, they’ve been lost to time.

Sadly, Veilleux passed away on March 27, 2007, at his home in Sherbrooke. He was only 41 years old. Of note, the first line in his obituary mentioned he had “une vie des plus extraordinaires” (or “a most extraordinary life”). What this means is anyone’s guess.

That’s all we currently know about the young man who had a memorable one-off appearance on a popular Quebec variety program roughly 45 years ago. While it’s a shame he’ll never know about his newfound (and unexpected) success, it’s nice to know that others are enjoying and sharing his one true moment in the sun.

Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.