Mario Crevier, a musician and musical therapist who performs under the name Elliott Barraclough, is returning to his Saskatchewan roots this summer, including as many free performances at long-term care homes as he can fit in.
Crevier was born in Montreal in 1952, and moved to Moose Jaw with his family when he was four years old. He learned English in Moose Jaw, relearned French in Gravelbourg at College Mathieu, got his start in music at St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish, and when people ask where he’s from, he says Saskatchewan.
He retired from a 30-year career in the field of electronics manufacturing management after the economic crash in 2008 devastated Ontario’s manufacturing sector, and decided to get into music therapy. Crevier has been using his talent ever since to inspire happy memories for dementia patients in long-term care homes.
“I play resident-appropriate music, so as a for instance, I sing stuff like ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,’ ‘Tura Lura Lura,’ and ‘Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile,’” Crevier said. “Most people in long-term care are 75 to 100 years old, so I don’t do any new songs. … I sing in Polish, Russian, German, French, Italian, a Scottish brogue, Irish. I sing in Mandarin and Greek, and I get them all to sing with me. I try to get maximum audience participation.”
Crevier believes that music therapy is about the best thing there is for dementia patients. He finds it a joyful experience to go into dementia wards and see residents come to life and respond to his melodies.
“These songs are the milestones of their lives, and from there all the memories come flooding back. And they sing, and it’s just tribal. It’s absolutely fantastic to be in the middle of that, so that’s why I do it.
“Some of these people are in terrible condition, they can hardly move. And I go in and start singing a song and next thing you know, they’re tapping their feet, they’re whistling, they’re banging on the table, some of them just start singing right out.”
Early on, Crevier found the combination of an Italian first name and a French last name threw most people for a loop, so he decided to take on a pseudonym.
“I checked the internet for the most popular English names and came up with Elliott,” he laughed. “The other name that was most popular at the time was Rex, but I thought that was a bit too pompous, to call myself ‘Rex.’”
J.P. Crevier, Mario’s father, built the GATX railcar servicing and repair plant in 1956, and had a side gig teaching French to RCAF officers at the base — an opportunity that arose from his Rotary Club membership. Crevier’s mother Ida taught French at numerous Moose Jaw schools, including St. Agnes and Tech Collegiate.
All that is to say that his roots run deep.
The family moved to Red Deer, Alberta in 1969 so J.P. could help build another railcar repair plant, and Crevier did his final year of high school there. Nevertheless, he considers Moose Jaw home and can’t wait to come back. He has old friends and memories all over the region, from rock-and-roll and country bandmates to schoolmates from Moose Jaw and Gravelbourg.
“I figure, I’m 70 now,” Crevier said. “Before anymore people I know and haven’t seen in years die, I gotta go back and make a tour.
“It’s all pro bono, I mean, they don’t have the cash, so I say, ‘Look, instead of paying me, just watch my YouTube videos and use them as therapy for your residents.’ Because the need is there, it’s so important.”
Crevier’s other quest on this tour is for authentic Cantonese restaurants. He remembers the Chinese food, and specifically the Cantonese food, in Saskatchewan as the best he’s ever had — a lifelong love stemming from his childhood on the Prairies.
Crevier will be in the province from June 8 to June 29 and aims to play as many 2 p.m. shows as he can. He will play at Pioneer Lodge on Saturday June 10, Ross Payant in Assiniboia on June 12, Foyer d’Youville in Gravelbourg on June 13, Foyer St. Joseph in Ponteix on June 14, and more.
Check out Mario Crevier’s YouTube channel under his performing name — Elliot Barraclough — and contact him at melodistelliott@gmail.com if you’d like him to perform.
