Hal in 1956
(The Pink Cadillac Years) 

     The Gauthier family moved to Normetal, Quebec, a small mining town north of Rouyn, where they had purchased a farm with 50 acres of farming land surrounded by 150 acres of tall timber. It was there that Hal learned what it was like to be a "lumberjack." At nighttime, the Gauthier family would play cards on the kitchen table and listen to country music on their new battery radio. 

    One evening, by pure chance while turning the radio dial, Hal tuned in to The Grand Ole Opry from Nashville, Tennessee, and heard them introduce to the audience a singer by the name of Hank Williams, who then performed his classic song, Lovesick Blues. Hal recalls: "when I heard this guy sing, a shiver ran all over me, I knew right then and there what I wanted to do with my life." Another time, while tuning in to the radio, Hal picked up a radio show broadcast live from Timmins, Ontario on CKGB, sponsored by a local taxi cab company, and presented as Burnettes Porcupine Frolic, featuring Ginger & The Melodie Rangers. Hal loved the show and would tune into it every afternoon and listen to Ginger sing, play an accordion and carry on... little did Hal know that later on in life, fate would bring him and Ginger together, both on stage, as well as husband and wife.

    Since Hal was French and at the time spoke very little English, he discovered that by writing the lyrics to a song phonetically he could sing the song in English even if he didn't know what the words meant... and, with Hal's never-give-up approach to life, his English improved quickly, although his pronunciation still left something to be desired. Eventually, Hal would leave the family homestead. With a suitcase, an old guitar, and a little sum of money his Mom and Dad gave him, Hal headed back to his hometown of Rouyn to pursue a career in music with stops along the way working in the mines, on the railroad and as a lumberjack. While working as a truck driver for O’Keefe’s Brewery in the day time, Hal would spend his evenings in the local hotels honing his skills as a country singer. Hal jokes about those days sometimes I’d help consume some of the deliveries I had made that same afternoon with the O’Keefe’s truck

    One fateful day things changed dramastically for Hal Willis. Ginger & The Melodie Rangers came to Rouyn to fulfill a two-month performance contract at the then plush St-Louis Hotel. Ginger met Hal, heard him sing, and hired him on the spot to sing in her band. Hal was so tickled he could hardly contain himself… after all, these were real ‘professional singers.’ With the contract fulfilled, Ginger decided to break up the band, and with Hal, headed to Montreal where they would soon develop into one of the more popular ‘floor show’ acts on the Canadian entertainment circuit.

    With Ginger's tutoring, Hal’s English kept improving, and soon he was able to record his first session for the famed Rodeo Records label, in 1951. In 1954, the great Webb Pierce, while on tour, caught their act in Buffalo, New York at the world famous McVans night club. Webb liked what he saw and heard and invited Hal and Ginger to move to Nashville.

    In 1955 they followed Webb Pierce’s advice and made the move to Nashville where with Webb’s help, they made their first appearance on the world famous Grand Ole Opry. Webb then was instrumental in getting the duo booked at Nashville’s renowned Rainbow Room where the likes of Marty Robbins and Hank Snow would often be seen as part of the audience. Ginger was soon offered a job as Marty Robbins’ secretary, and she accepted the offer as long as it would not interfere with her music. Hal kept busy recording demos for various music publishers, all the while improving his own recording technique and his English.

    In 1956 Hal recorded his first session on Atlantic Records and had an early Rock ‘n Roll hit with My Pink Cadillac. That same year, Hank Snow  introduced Hal and Ginger to Colonel Tom Parker, who immediately hired them to tour with then rising phenom, Elvis Presley, and provided them with some instant recognition. Hal and Ginger, along with Hank Snow would go down in history as the only Canadian performers to have toured with Elvis Pressley.

    In 1965 Hal finally got the big record break he had been working so hard for, when his recording of The Lumberjack, became an international hit, selling over 1.5 million copies, and reaching #5 on the Billboard Country Charts in the USA.

    Through sheer persistence and determination, Hal Willis overcame what he calls “those small obstacles in life” and, to his credit, has gained the respect of all the people that have crossed his path.  His music career, now in it’s fifth decade, continues to flourish, and a recent comeback on the recording scene with three brand new albums, one Country titled " COAST TO COAST " and one Christmas titled " SANTA'S CLONES "... plus his brand new latest release, "BETTER THAN EVER" from which three single releases have already been released on Compilation.. (Another Great One!)

All three albums are chucked full of great original material, written by Hal and Ginger. ( Two of the best writers in the business ).

Hal and Ginger have just written material for another new album to be recorded in the not too distant future.

Above: Hal at 18 months.

Be sure to check out Ginger's Biography..