The Cowboys Fringants continue to accumulate honors, as they received the title of “Patriot of the Year” on Wednesday evening, awarded by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, for the year 2023.
In a press release, the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal explained that it had chosen to name the group as “Patriot of the Year” to recognize and honor its “exceptional” contribution to the Quebec cultural scene.
In his opinion, “the members of the Cowboys Fringants have become over time true cultural ambassadors on stages here and elsewhere.”
Marie-Annick Lépine, Jean-François Pauzé and Jérôme Dupras accepted the award during a ceremony held Wednesday evening at Maison Ludger-Duvernay, while the group’s singer, Karl Tremblay, was honored as posthumous.
Since 1975, the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal has awarded the title of “Patriot of the Year” each year to a person who has distinguished himself in “the advancement of the national interest and the democratic struggles of peoples” .
Jacques Parizeau, Bernard Landry, Camille Laurin, Julie Snyder and Hélène Pednault notably received this honor. In 2022, the title was awarded to former Parti Québécois MP Véronique Hivon.
Since the death of Karl Tremblay last November, Les Cowboys Fringants has received impressive love and has been accumulating honors.
At the most recent Juno Awards gala, the group saw its album recorded with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra be crowned best French-language album. Its members will also join the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec, during a ceremony which will take place on June 10.
The album Royal Pubwhich was recorded in the last months of Karl Tremblay’s life and completed after his death, was acclaimed by the public upon its release at the end of April.
During its big National Patriots Day march, which will take place next Monday, the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal will once again pay tribute to the Cowboys Fringants by playing only their songs throughout the route.