A Saskatoon pianist who entertained for decades and mentored younger musicians died on the weekend.
Maurice Drouin was 82.
His musical career began when he was six-years-old, when his father bought a guitar for him and a piano for his sister.
"The piano was bought for my sister. My father wanted me to be a country singer. So I sat at the piano and I was able to pick out melodies right away so I stuck with the piano. Almost like a mistake if you want," he told CTV News in 2016.
That mistake sparked a lifelong love affair with music, which almost ended when he took a sales job and moved to Saskatoon from Ontario.
However, a gig at a local restaurant turned into countless more performances over the years, including an annual Christmas concert. He won awards and plated with some of the biggest and brightest the business had to offer.
He also mentored up-and-coming musicians such as Graham Dyck and Tatrina Tai. Both said in 2016 that they were fortunate to have found a musical guide as well as a friend in Drouin.
“I know that I would not have gotten the opportunity to perform for the length of time that I have at the venues I have in front of the audience that I have if Maurice hadn't given me every opportunity that I've been given," Tai said,
“It's true friendship. It's mentorship. I can never repay what I've got from being around him. I can never give that back to him, I've received so much," Dyck said.
Drouin said he wanted to see others like Tai and Dyck succeed – and he wanted to keep making music for many years to come.
