Michel Louvain
| Michel Louvain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michel Poulin |
| Born |
July 12, 1937 Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada |
| Origin | French Canadian |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer Television presenter |
| Years active | Circa 1960–present |
Michel Louvain (born Michel Poulin, July 12, 1937, Thetford Mines, Quebec) is a French Canadian singer most popular in the 1960s and 1970s.[1] His first hit, "Buenas Noches Mi Amor", launched his career, and his biggest hits include "La Dame en bleu" and "Je déclare l'amour au monde entier".[1] He has also worked as a host for a varieties of shows on television and radio.[1] In 1965 he was voted 'Mr. Radio–TV', French-Canada's top show business personality, at the Gala des Artistes.[2]
In the next 20 years, thanks to his numerous recordings and to his work as host for a succession of CFTM-TV (Montreal) and Radio-Canada TV variety shows, Louvain was one of the reigning matinee idols of Quebec;[1] his success was compared with that of Elvis Presley. His performances attracted mostly young female fans. He first performed in nightclubs, and, when his following grew more mature, in entertainment theaters. In the 1980s, he staged grandiose music-hall shows, with female dancers and scenery, at the Place des Arts and across Quebec, including Autour du monde in 1984.[1]
He was the subject of a documentary film by Claude Demers, entitled Les dames en bleu.[3]
He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.[4]
Discography
- 1958: Michel Louvain
- 1959: Ici Michel Louvain
- 1961: Après minuit
- 1962: Michel Louvain chante ses succès
- 1964: Michel
- 1965: Aloha
- 1965: Cœur à chœur
- 1966: Un peu de chanson
- 1967: Formi... formidable
- 1968: Souvenirs exotiques
- 1969: Michel Louvain chante Marie
- 1973: Ma vie, c'est l'amour
- 1974: La Grande kermesse western
- 1974: La Dame en bleu
- 1978: En spectacle au Grand Théâtre de Québec
- 1979: En harmonie
- 1979: Message d'amour et de paix
- 1980: Michel Louvain 1980
- 1982: Michel Louvain: 1957-1982
- 1984: Michel Louvain
- 1986: Il faut s'aimer
- 1988: Noël avec vous
- 1988: L'Amour sera toujours l'amour
- 1989: Romantique
- 1993: Je déclare l'amour
- 1997: La collection Michel Louvain - Les grands succès
- 2002: Les Grands Succès
- 2007: Chante Noël
- 2015: Gentleman Crooner
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Michel Louvain at The Canadian Encyclopedia.
- ↑ "French-Canadian show oo-la-la affair; Awards spark rhubarb". Billboard. October 30, 1965. p. 26. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ↑ Kelly, Brendan (December 22, 2014). "Claude Demers gets very personal in new documentary set in Verdun". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Four Nova Scotians among Order of Canada honourees". The Chronicle-Herald, July 1, 2015.