Whatever
happened to ... Miss Tee*Kay, Lucille
Emond?
“Jay is out, Kay is in.” That was
the catchphrase in 1966 when local garment
manufacturer Monarch Wear switched the
name of their popular brand of blue jeans
from Tee Jays to Tee*Kays. And the
girl they hired to model their new
clothing line? Lucille Emond.
Barely 16 years old and already a veteran
singer on the local music scene, Lucille
became Miss Tee*Kay. In that role
she appeared at promotional events and
travelled across Canada modeling Monarch
Wear “Switch Mates,” “Kolor Kloth” and
“Kolor-Keyed” apparel. “They just
shuffled me from event to event each
week,” Lucille recalls. Her picture
appeared everywhere making her a
celebrity. “All of this was going on
and I was still in school. I passed
everything although I don’t know how
because I was so busy all the time.”
Born in St. Boniface Hospital during the
flood of 1950, Lucille attended École
Precieux Sang and Nelson McIntyre
Collegiate. Her singing career began
with an appearance on CJAY TV’s Amateur
Hour where she won three weeks in a
row. Soon after, CKRC radio
personality Bob Bradburn tapped Lucille to
record some commercials for the station
and appear with a band he was promoting:
Neil Young & the Squires. “He
wanted Neil to have me in the band,” she
laughs, “but that just didn’t work
out. They didn’t want a girl in
their band. But I did do a couple of
gigs with them I was only about 12.
Here was this little girl being backed by
Neil Young. It just wasn’t meant to
be.”
Local CBC affiliate CBWT spotted Lucille’s
singing ability and youthful good looks
and recruited her to appear on their
weekly television show Music Hop
Hootenanny. The Winnipeg episode,
airing every Thursday at 5:30 across
Canada, was part of a national Music Hop
series. Winnipeg’s edition was
hosted by Ray St. Germain and featured
guitar genius Lenny Breau.
“I started on that CBC show when I was
13,” states Lucille, “and stayed for three
years. The chorus included me, Carol
West, Miki Allen, and Yvette. I was
making $65 a week. We did all these
hootenanny songs because that was the
theme of the show.”
The weekly television show gave Lucille a
national profile however she failed to
capitalize on it to launch a solo
career. “I was just too young to
recognize that national exposure,” she
muses, “and I could have used it to
develop a career. I was always
working and I gave my money to my parents
because they didn’t have much money.
But I sort of missed out on having a
regular childhood. I was still a kid
but surrounded by adults so I was expected
to be an adult. But I don’t think I
turned out too bad,” she laughs.
In 1970 Lucille married well-known local
musician Bill Merritt and the two worked
together in various groups. “I sang
right up until my ninth month of
pregnancy.” Daughter Lisa Merritt
was born in 1973 just as Bill was busy
with promising jazz-rockers Mood Jga
Jga. Unfortunately the band’s debut
album failed to find an audience.
“That was a big disappointment,” notes
Lucille. “Those were tough days for
us.”
Son Billy came along in 1976 and by the
early ‘80s, Lucille was working as a real
estate (agent) for Delbro. When Lisa became
involved with rhythmic gymnastics, Lucille
was with her every step of the way.
“I was the media contact and fundraising
chair. I even won an award for my
work. There wasn’t a week that went
by without an article about rhythmic
gymnastics because I made sure of
that.” Lisa won 5 gold medals at the
1987 Canada Winter Games but missed out on
the Olympics due to an injury.
On vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Lucille
and Bill took a bus ride to Chapala.
“It was just gorgeous,” she recalls.
“I thought to myself, ‘If I have to work,
why not work somewhere warm that we
like?’” In 1998 they moved to Ajijic
where Lucille obtained her Mexican real
estate license. “I had to learn
Spanish to write the exam.”
After more than a decade in Mexico,
Lucille and Bill returned to Winnipeg last
summer. Bill was diagnosed with a
brain tumor (his first was in 1993).
He is currently undergoing
chemotherapy. A January 14th
fundraising social was a huge
success. “It was absolutely amazing
what all those people did for us,” she
smiles. “It really showed the spirit
of Winnipeggers.”
Reflecting on her career back in the ‘60s,
Lucille states, “Everything happened to me
at such a young age. It’s hard to
believe I’m sixty. I still feel like
I’m a teenager until I look in the mirror
and go, ‘Oh god!”
John Einarson 2010
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Music
Hop Hootenanny Chorus Singers
L-R: Carol West, Lucille Emond,
Yvette Dandeneau Shaw and Micki Allen with
guest Pat Hervy (rear).
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Lucille
Emond with The Cordells
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Lucille
Emond with The Pink Plumm
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Lucille
Emond with Fabulous George and The Zodiacs
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