Michel Louvain

Michel Louvain, OC (born July 12, 1937)[1] is a French Canadian singer most popular in the 1960s and 1970s.[2] He recorded many hit songs,[3][4] and also worked as a host for a variety of shows on television and radio.[2][5] In 1965 he was voted 'Mr. Radio–TV', French-Canada's top show business personality, at the Gala des Artistes.[6]

Michel Louvain
OC
Background information
Birth nameMichel Poulin
Born (1937-07-12) July 12, 1937
Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada
OriginFrench Canadian
Occupation(s)Singer
Television presenter
Years activeCirca 1960–present
Websitemichel-louvain.com

Early life

Louvain was born Michel Poulin in Thetford Mines, Quebec.

Career

In the 1960s Louvain was signed to Apex Records.[7] His first hit was "Buenas Noches Mi Amor". Over the next 20 years, Louvain made many recordings, including the hit songs "La Dame en bleu" and "Je déclare l'amour au monde entier".[2] His recordings in French were sold internationally in Belgium.[8]

Louvain was the host of a succession of CFTM-TV (Montreal) and Radio-Canada TV variety shows.[2] His performances attracted mostly young female fans.[9] He first performed in nightclubs, and, when his following grew more mature, in entertainment theatres. 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.[2]

He was the subject of a documentary film by Claude Demers, entitled Les dames en bleu.[10]

He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.[11][12] In 2017, as a celebration of his 80th birthday, Louvain set out on a concert tour. One of the concerts was[13]at the Festival d’Été de Québec in Quebec City.[14]

Discography
  • 1958: Michel Louvain'
  • 1959: Ici Michel Louvain
  • 1961: Après minuit
  • 1962: Michel Louvain chante ses succès
  • 1962: Toi et moi
  • 1964: Michel
  • 1965: Aloha[15]
  • 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. "Michel Louvain ". AllMusic, biography by Jason Birchmeier
  2. Michel Louvain at The Canadian Encyclopedia.
  3. "Top Singles". RPM, Volume 4, No. 10. November 1, 1965
  4. Tour de Chant. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 5, 1960. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. Tabloid Poll. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 17, 1967. pp. 48–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. "French-Canadian show oo-la-la affair; Awards spark rhubarb". Billboard. October 30, 1965. p. 26. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  7. Disque artists win 2 top awards at Gala. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 31, 1965. pp. 12–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. Music Capitals of the World. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 29, 1966. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
  9. Montreal in the 50s: A Guide to Writing Historical Fiction. Olivia Makinson. November 26, 2014. p. 7. GGKEY:D46W0PNPZPF.
  10. Kelly, Brendan (December 22, 2014). "Claude Demers gets very personal in new documentary set in Verdun". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  11. "Four Nova Scotians among Order of Canada honourees". The Chronicle-Herald, July 1, 2015.
  12. "Seventeen Quebecers appointed to Order of Canada". Nathalie Laflamme, The Gazette (Montreal), July 1, 2015
  13. "Michel Louvain et l'OSQ: le bonheur d'un crooner". le Soliel, Josianne Desloges, April 7, 2017.
  14. Lawlis, Jamie (July 16, 2017). "SPILL FESTIVAL REVIEW: FESTIVAL D'ÉTÉ DE QUÉBEC 2017". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  15. Philip Hayward (1999). Widening the Horizon: Exoticism in Post-war Popular Music. J. Libbey. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-86462-047-4.
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