Martin Deschamps
| Martin Deschamps | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | martin |
| Born |
June 23, 1970 Canada |
| Genres | Rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, bass, drums |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | MartinDeschamps.com |
Martin Deschamps (born June 23, 1970) is a Canadian rock singer from Quebec. He records and performs both as a solo artist and as the lead vocalist for the reunited Offenbach.
Deschamps was born with congenital deformities of all four limbs; he is missing both his left arm and right leg, and has only two fingers on his right hand.
At the age of nine, his family moved to Rawdon, Quebec. During his youth, his handicap was not mocked in school. He entertained his student friends in class and maintained good enough grades to be the first of his class.
He started playing the drums when he reached 11 years of age, and by the age of 15, he was playing bass guitar and started singing. From 1989 to 1995 he was a graphic designer for Bell company. The first band he played in was called Any Way, as their drummer. Knowing he wanted to become a band leader, he formed his own group called Deep Freeze.
His musical career began in 1996 when, with that group, he was named best vocalist in the L'Empire des futures stars competition. He was subsequently invited to join rock band Offenbach on a reunion tour as the replacement for the late Gerry Boulet, and immediately departed on a 50-show tour. He then released his own solo debut, Comme je suis, in 2000. Selling 60,000 copies in Quebec, the album spawned three hit singles and was nominated for three Félix Awards, for best new artist, best rock album and best single ("Quand").
For his second album, 2001's Différent, he donated a portion of the profits to Montreal's Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, and subsequently became a spokesperson for the province's Semaine des personnes handicapées.
He subsequently recorded two songs for the soundtrack to Denise Filiatrault's film L'Odyssée d'Alice Tremblay and a duet with Lynda Lemay, and mounted a successful concert tour in France.
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