Biography

Richard was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is one of nine siblings in an Acadian French family. Music was an integral part of many family celebrations over the years and at the age of 16 Richard picked up his first guitar. He began playing acoustic music, building a repertoire from his favourite artists at the time, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Harry Chapin, The Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel and as his music gradually matured, his own style began to bleed through from elements within his Maritime tradition.

In the early 1990’s, Richard made his first attempts at songwriting. His ability to craft deep and meaningful songs quickly became apparent and within a year, his natural bend toward songwriting earned him an invitation to perform in concert with Valdy, one of his first musical heroes.  In 2000, Richard won honours in the Vancouver Island Original Music Competition, placing 2nd out of  60 acts. Later, when asked to open for east coast sensation J.P. Cormier, Richard not only received rave reviews from the audience but from J.P. himself who was hearing Caissie’s music for the first time.

The narrative content of Caissie’s songs show a rich diversity of personal and social commentary, and he moves audiences with songs such as “The Men In The Mine”, a tribute to the victims of the Westray Mine disaster in Nova Scotia. Through various styles of music Richard draws his audiences through scenes of the old west in “Jacob Daniels”, a car chase through dusty back roads in “Hell on Wheels”, and even a reflective journey out to sea in “Safe Harbour”. The inspiration for his songwriting remains close to the human condition, as he states, “People relate to my music, because it relates to life. The triumphs and struggles of our lives and human nature are timeless, and what life is really all about.”  A natural storyteller, Richard loves the challenge of seeing and describing the truth in all situations, bringing people together to share an emotional connection if only for the length of a song. Caissie is a songwriter and performer whose music can be appreciated by a wide variety of audiences.

The rich warm vocals and full rhythmic style of Canadian singer songwriter Richard Caissie have impressed audiences and inspired comparisons to such legendary performers as James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, and Valdy. Caissie’s acoustic music touches on many styles and genres including folk, pop, blues, calypso, jazz and country, which he expresses with musical precision, lyrical ease and good humour.