Réginal Charles Gagnon dit Cayouche was born in Moncton (New Brunswick, Canada) in 1949.
In 1994 (age 45), the artist self-produced his first album, entitled Un Vieux Hippy, which he recorded in a Caraquet-area studio. He formed a production company with his friend and manager Jean-Marc Dufour.
His first album, with its western overtones reminiscent of the music of Johnny Cash, Paul Brunelle and Willie Lamothe, was not unanimously acclaimed by the critics but sparked an immediate craze in the “little world” that inspired the artist. His first album drew heavily on the daily lives of New Brunswick's Acadians, as evidenced by hit songs such as Le p'tit Jeep à André, Export “A”, Le bon vieux temps and La chaîne de mon tracteur.
Over the next nine years, he recorded three more albums: Moitié-Moité in 1996 (L'alcool au volant), Roule roule in 1999 (La reine du bingo) and Last Call in 2003 (La 6/49).