Marcel Martel (ne Joseph Gaston Martel, 1925-1999) was a strictly French-language country singer and a pioneer of Canada's post-World War Two country sound. His long, prolific career stretched back to the late 1940s, and like many country stars of that era, he only started releasing his work on LP sometime in the late 'Fifties. His wife Noella-Therrien (1926-2015) was also a French-Canadian country star, and their daughter Renee Martel (1947-2021) became one of the most popular country singers of the 1980s and '90s. Marcel Martel also worked closely with fellow postwar country singer Paul Brunelle, with the duo releasing several albums together.

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel Et Ses Chansons" (Apex Francais, 1958) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Chante Chante Chante" (Apex Francais, 1961) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Sa Guitare Et Ses Chansons" (Carnaval Records, 1963) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel" (London Records, 1963) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel Et Son Ensemble" (London Records, 1963) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Noel Chez Marcel Martel" (Carnaval Records, 1964) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Dans Mon Vallon" (Carnaval Records, 1964) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Sur Le Ranch Avec Marcel Martel" (London Records, 1964) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Mon Coeur Est Comme Un Train" (London Records, 1964) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Ma Belle Prairie" (Carnaval Records, 1965) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Villes En Village" (Carnaval Records, 1965) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel" (London Records, 1966) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Joyeux Noel Et Bonne Et Heureuse Annee" (London Records, 1967) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel" (London Records, 1970) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel" (London Records, 1971) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel: Volume 6" (London Records, 1971) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel" (London Records, 1971) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Le P'tit Indien" (London Records, 1971) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Notre Amour Renait" (London Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Marcel Martel & Claude Jobin)

Marcel Martel "Chansons Souvenirs" (London Records, 1973) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Chansons Souvenirs, v.2: Por Toi Renee" (London Records, 1973) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel" (London Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Claude Jobin)

Marcel Martel & Paul Brunelle "Volume One" (Bonanza Records, 1974) (LP)
Though the singers are pictured together on the front cover, this appears to be a split LP, with each singer performing on alternate tracks; it seems likely this is reissue material, though I haven't fully dug into it yet.

Marcel Martel & Noëlla Therrien "Un Coeur, Un Amour, Un Bonheur" (Bonanza Records, 1974-?) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Volume Two" (Bonanza Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Daraiche)

Marcel Martel "Je Suis Fier De Mon Pays" (Bonanza Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Marcel Martel)

Marcel Martel "Noel A Mon Eglise" (Bonanza Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Marcel Martel)

Marcel Martel "Aller Retour" (Bonanza Records, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Menard)

Marcel Martel "Tout Ce Beau Temps" (Bonanza Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Marcel Martel)

Marcel Martel "Marcel Martel" (Bonanza Records, 1977-?) (LP)
(Produced by Paul Daraiche)

Marcel Martel "J'ai Le Goût De Toi" (Bonanza Records, 1979-?) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Bonsoir Chérie" (DRM Records, 1982) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Au Jardin De Mes Souvenirs" (DRM Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Albert Babin & Denis Champoux)

Marcel Martel "Chante Avec Moi" (DRM Records, 1983) (LP)

Marcel Martel "Au Coeur De Mes Chansons" (DRM Records, 1983)

Marcel Martel "Noel Des Temps Nouveaux" (DRM Records, 1986-?)
(Produced by Marcel Martel & A. Proulx)
Man, he sure did love making Christmas albums!

Marcel Martel "Ca Me Donne Les Bleus" (DRM Records, 198--?)
(Produced by Denis Champoux)

Marcel Martel "Un Coin Du Ciel" (Gaie-T/Paysanne Records, 19--?)

Marcel Martel "Bonsoir Mon Amour" (Gaie-T Musique, 19--?)

Marcel Martel "J'ai Pleure En Ta Presence" (Gaie-T Musique, 19--?)
(Produced by Gaetan Richard)

Marcel Martel "Heritage Quebecois" (MCA Records, 1991)
Like many classic country artists who emerged in the post-World War Two era, much of Marcel Martel's formative early work came out only on singles (78s or 45s) and was only later collected onto archival collections. There are a whole slew of Martel best-of records, but I'm primarily interested here in the ones that cover his early work, before he started releasing his work on albums. This disc, which previously came out as a pair of cassettes, looks particularly promising

Marcel Martel "Chante Ses Premiers Succes Sur 78 Tours" (DGM Records, ??)

• Discogs: Marcel Martel

• Wikipedia: Marcel Martel (English)

• Wikipedia: Marcel Martel (French)

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