Raymond Lévesque

Raymond Lévesque
Born October 7, 1928
Montreal, Quebec
Genres pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, Piano
Years active 1940s-1980s

Raymond Lévesque (born October 7, 1928 in Montreal, Quebec) is a retired Canadian singer-songwriter and poet from Quebec.[1] One of the pioneers of the chansonnier tradition in Quebec,[2] he is best known for writing "Quand les hommes vivront d'amour", one of the most famous pop standards in French-language popular music.[1]

Background

Born and raised in Montreal, he studied piano under Rodolphe Mathieu and drama under Madame Audet.[1] Inspired by the work of Charles Trenet,[3] he began writing songs in the 1940s and started performing in various cabarets around Montreal. In 1947, he had his first significant breakthrough when he was invited to perform several of his songs on CKAC radio.

From 1952 to 1954, he was cohost with Colette Bonheur of the variety series Mes jeunes années on Radio-Canada. He then spent several years living in France, where he recorded for Barclay Records and had his songs recorded by French artists such as Bourvil, Jean Sablon, Cora Vaucaire and Eddie Constantine.[1] During this time he wrote "Quand les hommes vivront d'amour", which was inspired by the contemporaneous Algerian War; first recorded by Constantine, the song has since been recorded and performed by many artists in both France and Canada.[1] Other noted songs he wrote during this era included "Les Trottoirs", "La Vénus à Mimile", "Le Coeur du Bon Dieu" and "Rosemont sous la pluie".[1]

After returning to Quebec in 1959, he took acting roles in several téléromans and hosted the children's television series Coucou, and cofounded a boîte à chansons called Chez Bozo with Jean-Pierre Ferland, Clémence DesRochers, Hervé Brousseau, André Gagnon and Claude Léveillée.[4] In 1968, he also began to write poetry and plays, and became politically active in the Quebec separatist movement.[5]

In 1980, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Prix Félix.

By 1986, Lévesque had suffered profound hearing loss and was diagnosed as deaf. He abandoned music but continued to write, publishing several further works of poetry, fiction and political satire.

He was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier in 1997. He was named a winner of the Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2005,[6] but declined the honour due to his sovereignist views.[7]

In 2016 a new song written by Lévesque, titled "Les jours d'amour", was recorded and released by singer Marie-Josée Longchamps.[8]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Bibliography

Poetry

Plays

Autobiography

Novels

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Raymond Lévesque". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  2. ↑ "Chansonniers", The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  3. ↑ "RAYMOND LÉVESQUE (1928 – …)". Star Québec, March 31, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Giant of Quebec music; Wrote for Edith Piaf, and honoured by both Canada and France". Ottawa Citizen, June 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Wait is on for Bill 86 regulations; Key nationalists divided on sign law". Montreal Gazette, June 2, 1993.
  6. ↑ "Governor General honours six artists". Windsor Star, September 30, 2005.
  7. ↑ "Poet rejects G-G arts award over sovereignty issues". Windsor Star, October 26, 2005.
  8. ↑ "Une nouvelle chanson signée Raymond Lévesque". Le Journal de Montréal, July 7, 2016.
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