Jean-Yves Belley, Keeper of tradition

In Jean-Yves, there is something, so many memories. 
Memories of a people, and of his heroes, memories of the land, and its past. The memories of all those who, over time, shared their ­stories with him, the people of this place, the humble builders of the Charlevoix that exists today. 

Here at Go Charlevoix, we speak affectionately about Jean-Yves. He is the keeper of our memories. It’s a mutual, fully shared affection, when he drops by to chat with us, have a cup of coffee in the early morning and " to express tenderness ";   

with all our love, we give you a profile of the man. Because we can use only so many words to tell you about the story-teller… because we can show you only the briefest glimpse of a personality of such depth, we have chosen to let his own words speak for us, as often as possible. The words of his songs, finely stitched, adorned with all the artfulness of his pen… The words of the album released 23 years ago already: Pour faire tendresse [To express tenderness].

A teacher above all else, by profession and through the lyrics sung near and far, in his " L’Isle aux Corneille " coffeehouse, and as presenter on Télévision Vents et Marées [a community-based TV ­channel], Jean-Yves recognized the privilege to have a voice. A voice he always wanted to use in service of helping others find their own. He sings of Arthur Savard, Alexis le Trotteur and many other hard-working, everyday heroes in a country where everything had yet to be done and built… He gives a voice back to the seafarers ­"Vigneault truly showed us - This land here, it’s yours, and mine - For we who live and breathe boats - For we who live and breathe water ", to the blacksmiths " No more horses for the ‘smith - No more ­carriage for Mr. Boudreault ". He keeps the memory of an already-vanished era alive… He sings with such beauty of the memory of the big white ships, " Here’s La Malbaie River – In love, in love with the point - Here the great white ships - Withdraw from our banks, to our chagrin ". He forgets no-one, acknowledges nicknames, names of our concession roads, villages " I know our little corner very well " Cache toé ben " - La Miscoutine, Les Éboulements, St-Urbain, Saint-Irénée and Saint-Joachim - None are rich, but there’s food on the table - And the little capelin, besides " " The people of " Snigole " - of " Pisec " and of " Blackhouse " - Who restored the soil - Who sifted the pebbles "… He loves this land with every fibre of his being, " In this land, we have our minor traditions - In this land, we have our blessings - In this land, we have our panoramas - In this land, we are like "feuilles au vent" "leaves in the breeze" - The bread we’re better for having received - The bread we bless every night - The hardship hidden by the wind - But what can we do with the coming spring? ". " Because my heart is hooked - Down the length of the La Malbaie River - Because my heart is anchored at the bottom of my bay ". Surely, Jean-Yves’s heart is in this land, and surely, that feeling can be seen  in his face, as he tells us of Mont des Éboulements, of his own little bit of paradise at the edge of the lake deep in the Sagard region, of the little sliver of shoreline behind the Pointe-au-Pic chapel… And of his Gisèle, too! Because there’s love enough to go around, for humanity, and for the land: for his wife, his children, and for old friends! For the people who live here, and for the Charlevoix region’s culture, which he makes it his duty to share, to chronicle, to sing, to remember, so that no one individual lived in vain, so that each piece of the short history of our little corner finds a proper place, comes together, forms a great tapestry, a reflection… 
 

May your memory remain sharp for a long time to come. Here’s to you, Jean-Yves! Drop in for a cup of coffee, when you’ve got the time!