Serge Fiori
| Serge Fiori | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Serge Fiori |
| Born | March 4, 1952 |
| Origin | Montreal, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, Piano, Flute |
| Years active | 1970s - 1980s, 2013-present |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Harmonium |
Serge Fiori (born March 4, 1952) was the lead vocalist and guitarist for Harmonium, an influential progressive rock band from Quebec. After Harmonium broke up he pursued a solo career.
Serge Fiori grew up in the Italian part of Montreal and made his performing debut in the ballroom orchestra of his father George Fiori. At age 18 he was already earning his living as a professional musician while beginning to write his own material. In 1972, a friend introduced him to Michel Normandeau who was looking for someone to write the music for a play. The project fell apart but the two struck a friendship and in 1973 they formed Harmonium.
Harmonium recorded three studio albums, adding members along the way to turn into a progressive rock group: Harmonium (1974), Si on avait besoin d'une cinquième saison (1975), and L'Heptade (1976). Each LP became highly influential in the development of Quebec rock and each intensified Serge Fiori's charisma as a frontman and songwriter. Unlike other Quebec songwriters, his lyrics had a universal appeal. L'Heptade in particular revealed interests in a cosmic consciousness and oriental mysticism similar to Yes' Jon Anderson.
Harmonium disbanded in 1978. Fiori immediately teamed up with Richard Séguin to record Deux cents nuits à l'heure. This was also Séguin's first album apart from the group that brought him under the spotlight, Les Séguin. Most of the Harmonium musicians appeared on the 1978 LP and again on Neil Chotem's Live au El Casino (1979) which includes two new songs by Fiori. After that the singer disappeared from the public radar, moving to Los Angeles to study meditation, computer science, and composition.
He resurfaced in 1983 as a songwriter for other artists, namely Diane Dufresne, Nanette Workman and stand-up comic Yvon Deschamps. A year later he wrote and sang the theme song for the Montreal comedy festival Just for Laughs, which would become one of the biggest attractions of its kind in the world. His 1986 solo album contains many flaws inherent to the cold production techniques of the era. He spent the 1990s writing film scores (André Forcier's Une histoire inventée in 1990, Roch Demers' Hathi in 2000 and Madame Brouette in 2002, with Mamadou Diabaté and Majoly) and TV music, making a short set of public appearances in 1995 to present Gayatri, Maha Mrityunjaya and Shiva, three CDs of new age music.
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