Gauthier grew up in a family that enjoyed and performed music. His father, Almazor Gauthier, sang Sundays in the Catholic Mass and his mother, Antonia Bélisle, played piano. Listening to the classic French singers of the time on radio, such as Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet, inspired him as well. But his musical revelation came when he heard Félix Leclerc for the first time on the radio. From then on, he wanted to make music and, like Leclerc, sing simple, direct songs about everyday life.
In 1954 Gauthier moved to Montreal where he worked for three years in the warehouse of the record dealer Édouard Archambault. After that he worked as a wilderness guide.
All during this time he wrote songs and he was soon rewarded for his efforts. Encouraged to take part in a contest for singer-songwriters put on by CKVL, in Montreal, in 1959, he won first prize for "Le Soleil brillera demain" ("the sun will shine tomorrow").
He left his job and started singing in the coffee houses in Montreal accompanying himself on guitar. His songs from this period include: "Ton nom", ("Your Name") and "Le Grand six pieds" ("The Big Six-footer"). "Le Grand six pieds" was a big hit for him. It was based on memories of his early childhood, of the people, their struggle to make ends meet; it was a metaphor for the people of Quebec.