What’s Bred in the Bone

Jody Raffoul, along with Sons Billy and Peter, Perform at The Colosseum at Caesars

Story by Karen Tinsley
Photography by Sydney Taylor, Caesars Windsor

That well-known and loved metaphor ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ could certainly pertain to Leamington’s Raffoul family. Dad Jody is the mighty ‘tree’; eldest sons Billy and Peter are the precious ‘apples’.    

Blessed with singing voices ‘from the Gods’, Jody, Billy and Peter possess unrelenting drive, dedication and an admirable ability to teach themselves to play any musical instrument they pick up.  

These natural gifts have transformed into three separate success stories for this talented trio.    

Each story begins in the lovely town of Leamington where Jody, Billy and Peter were born and bred. 

While Billy is now based in Toronto and Peter lives in Nashville, Jody is still proud to call Leamington home. He can trace his robust heritage all the way back to the tiny village of Tourza, Lebanon (population 400).     

“I’ve traveled extensively but for me, Leamington is the place to be: the lifestyle, melting pot culture, the waterfront and the genuine, down-to-earth people. After the first Lebanese people settled here, they sponsored thousands of others to join them,” Jody shares. 

During the summer months, the Raffoul family toiled under the stifling hot sun picking tomatoes; during fall and winter, they laboured in local canning factories. They instilled a vigorous work ethic in young Jody (which became entrenched).  

When asked what set him on a musical path, Jody remembers, “…sitting beside my Uncle Morris on his porch, listening to him play the first guitar I’d ever laid eyes on.”  

Demonstrating early evidence of his characteristic drive and determination, 15-year-old Jody bought his own guitar and taught himself to play it.  Then, “after being shown the Exit door from school in grade 11”, he landed a few odd jobs. 

“But music was my calling; I got my first gig at the Village Inn Hotel when I was 17.” 

 Armed with the vocal versatility to cover the likes of Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey, Paul Rodgers and Paul McCartney, Raffoul secured a solid local following. In the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, clubs competed to book his band The Bad Apples.  

Then Raffoul released his debut self-titled CD of original songs, peddling it straight from the trunk of his car at gigs.  

The song ‘Hamburg’ evoked a raw, gritty, in-your-face working man power; ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Colour of Tears’ revealed a more soulful side. 

In 1999, Raffoul’s stripped-down, soul-baring LP Simple Life debuted; the title track became a fan favourite. Five years later, Raffoul wrote and recorded 2004’s Like a Star, securing international attention for ‘Light of Day.’ 

A fan secretly submitted ‘Light of Day’ to Bon Jovi’s “Have a Nice Gig” contest. From more than 17,000 entrants, Bon Jovi himself personally  selected Raffoul for National Winner. As a result, Raffoul and his band opened for the megastar before a sold-out crowd at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium. 

Raffoul’s 5th LP, ‘9 Wigle Street’,  features heartfelt songs about family, love, loss, trials and triumphs. With proof positive that the passage of time has only enriched Raffoul’s vocal prowess, his voice struts confidently across each track, backed by raunchy guitars and killer basslines. “I’m So in Love with You” (about rebuilding family relationships after divorce), was written for second eldest son Peter. 

For Jody, 2025 marks his 40th year of performing. Through the years, along with his many musical milestones, Raffoul has found love again with second wife Bridget (a talented actress) and fathered two more sons and a cherished daughter.  

Recalling the first time Billy and Peter joined him onstage, Jody beams. 

“Having Billy and Peter singing beside me, performing songs I’d written myself, was hands-down the most incredible moment. My younger sons Cadin, Judah and my daughter Balokia were shaking the tambourines right along with us! I’ve opened for legends like the Allman Brothers, John Entwistle, Paul Rogers and Bon Jovi, but my most monumental moment was performing with Billy, Peter and the rest of my kids, right here at home!  Truly one of the highlights of my career.”  

#1 Son Billy was just nine years old the first time he set foot onstage with his father. 

While performing before more than 1,000 at Kingsville’s Migration Hall, Jody recalls, “During my encore, someone hoisted Billy onstage. I’ll always remember him hanging on to my leg with all his might!”

By the time he turned 16, Billy was performing professionally.   

While tagging along with Jody to a Kid Rock studio session in 2013, producers heard Billy sing and invited him to perform too. 

By 2017, Billy had released several EP’s and performed on Avicii’s “You Be Love”; his full-length debut LP ‘International Hotel’ was released in 2020.  

Billy won the 2021 SOCAN Songwriting Prize for his song ‘Western Skies’; in 2023, he participated in Serena Ryder’s all-star recording “What I Wouldn’t Do”.

Proud of his musical pedigree, Billy shares, “When I found out I was opening for Jeff Beck, Dad was the first person I called. During the Cincinnati gig, I was introducing myself to the crowd between songs when all of a sudden this guy on his feet in the front row yells, ‘You’re Jody’s tot!’ How cool was that?” 

For second eldest son Peter Raffoul, growing up immersed in the iconic music of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s soon inspired him to start writing songs. Spending countless hours in the family’s backyard shed, Peter also taught himself to play piano and guitar. 

“That shed was my sanctuary, a world where I could marry melodies with lyrics and tease out tunes,” he recalls.      

Mindful of the trails father Jody and brother Billy blazed before him, Peter explains, “I wanted to be sure I was good and ready before putting the Raffoul name out there…again.”  

“One night in Leamington I watched as Dad called other people on stage, including my brother Billy. I remember thinking ‘maybe tonight is the night for me, too’. So, I went and stood beside Dad behind the mic. I thought, ‘no going back now!’, he laughs.  

So how did Peter come to call Nashville ‘home’?

A record label liked his young, raw sound and invited him to garner more songwriting experience. 

When “Canada’s Best Export”, the high-energy Juno award winning rockers Glorious Sons came to Caesars Colosseum on February 28, it only seems fitting that they invited Jody (who has  been called “Canada’s Best Kept Secret”), Billy and Peter to open as their special guests. Performing together as ‘The Raffouls’ for the first time, the enthusiastic audience was delighted to sing and sway along to their heavenly harmonies! 

To find out more, visit jodyraffoul.com, billyraffoul.com and peterraffoul.com.

Published in the Your Place or Mine? 2025 Edition