Renee Claude

Renee Claude is a Chanteuse and Québécois Actrice born in 1939. Although it is not auteure-compositeure, - and thus exclusively interprets, one almost always associates Renee Claude with this movement since its repertory is drawn at the beginning near the French and Québécois chansonniers. She also influenced several other great ladies of the song from here, in particular Diane Dufresne, her friend.

Biography

Born Renee Bélanger, with Montreal, on July 3rd 1939, Renee Claude begins very young person in the trade. She follows courses of Piano to the music school Vincent d' Indy during several years, just as of the course of Dramatic art with the actor Paul Hébert as well as courses of song with Alphonse Ledoux. In 1955, whereas it is only 16 years old, it gains the first price of the radiophonic contest “the discoveries of Billy Munroe”, at the station CKVL, Verdun. It is necessary for him to await 1960 before making its beginnings on television, with the emission At Clémence , of the Société Radio-Canada. On scene, it is with Quebec, “the box with songs”, which it makes its first steps. She then sings especially the great names of the French song, in particular the Léo Ferré, Georges Brassens, Jacques Brel, Gilbert Bécaud and Ricet Barrier, but very early, she turns to the Québécois authors, while starting with Jean-Pierre Ferland which writes to the splendid song the marchioness cotton to him. Always of Ferland, she interprets the song Feuille of GUI to Brussels in Belgium, with the contest “Songs to measure”, and she gains the first price of the year 1962. The singer definitively made her entry in the world of the Québécois song, and its name starts to be made known near the public.

In 1963, Renee Claude signs a contract at Sélect and makes appear a first album including the following titles: the marchioness cotton , people of the round , Twenty years , My angel and This great love . It records a second album in 1964 ( While , Mélisa , Funambule …), then a third in 1965 ( You are black , Which thus will make me my song? …) and a fourth in 1966 ( evil of love , a life , people of my country …), always under Sélect label, and during this time, the interpreter accumulates the honors ( You are black of Stephan Venne and François Dompierre gains the price of the best song of the year 1965, style chansonnier, with the Festival of the disc, participation in the Festival of Sopot in Poland, second participation in the contest “Songs to measure”, etc). Parallel to that, it animates at the sides of Hubert Loiselle the radio broadcast “For those which like” in 1965, and gives concerts to the Auditorium the Plate in 1964 and to the Canadian Comedy in 1966. With proof that Renee Claude became with the passing of years an artist respected by her pars, the box with songs the Patriot decrees since 1965 the trophy Renee-Claude with the interpreter who was distinguished the most there during the year… A nice homage with the great lady!

The year 1967 is a hinge for Renee Claude and it marks a major turning in its career. It passes to Columbia (today Sony Music Entertainment) and is its first great success with the album and the song Shippagan of Michel Conte. It is done more and more presents on the scenes of the Quebec (the Patriot, the Canadian Comedy…) and it carries out a Québécois round at the sides of large the Jacques Brel. It is even invited to “Johnny Carson Show” and it receives, in 1968, the trophy of the best interpreter to the Official reception of the artists, price which it will still receive in 1969 and in 1970. Into 1969, it changes recording company again and signs this time a contract with Barclay, where it will remain until in 1974 and this for many discs. It launches then the albums Renee Claude (1969), It tower of the ground (1969), the beginning of a new time (1970), You will find peace (1971), I take again my breath (1972), This evening I make love with you (1973) and great successes Barclay (1973). Collaborating more and more with the composer-songwriter Stephan Venne, who became for it a friend, Renee Claude is an immense success with the songs It is our festival today , It tower of the ground , the street of the Mountain , You will find peace , the beginning of a new time , It is you, it is me, it is him, it is us other , When time turns to beautiful the , to forget You, to forget you and you Know that I love you for a long time . Also working with Michel Conte which signs the splendid song Viens to him to make a turn , she sees herself giving the first price of the contest “the Key of Gold” in 1970, thanks to this title. This same year, Renee Claude represents the Société Radio-Canada with the Festival of Athens, in Greece, then she sings with the World Fair of Osaka, with the Japan, like the Place of Arts of Montreal with the symphony orchestra. She goes still further, and goes in the USSR, in the Theater of the Varieties of Moscow like in several other cities of the country, for rounds in 1971 and 1972, and takes part in the Festival of Caracas, with the Venezuela. With her long black hair, her look of gipsy and her off-hand pace, Renee Claude incarnates then the spirit Libertaire, a little Féministe, which reigned as a Master in the Années 1970. She is also the first singer to reach the best positions of the prize list with original Québécois material, and not of the translations of American songs, as that was done so usually at the time.

In addition to Stephan Venne, which already made of Renee Claude, Emmanuëlle and Isabelle Pierre his three MUSE S, there is the young author Luc Plamondon who is interested of close with the career of Renee Claude. In spite of its many occupations near Diane Dufresne, Plamondon finds time as of 1972 to write texts for Renee. Among those, let us note Cours not too extremely, course not too far , It is not a day like the others , Berceuse for my father and my mother , and especially the bagomane and This evening I make love with you (on musics of Michel Robidoux) and a guy like you (on a melody of Germain Gauthier). One should not forget either, on compositions of Christian Saint-Roch, to quote the songs If you come in my country , You who will live tomorrow and the world is insane . It should be noted that Renee Claude was the first to record the world is insane , in 1973, song whose fragment became Hymne with the beauty of the world popularized thereafter by Diane Dufresne in 1979, and endisqué also by Isabelle Boulay, more recently, in 1998. Luc Plamondon had written the world is insane following a disconcerting event: the public Immolation by the fire of the poet Huguette Gaulin with the Place Jacques-Cartier, in the Old man-Montreal, in 1972. This woman of only 28 years shouted with conceal-head do not kill the beauty of the world in this tragic moment where she said good-bye to the life… and the idea thus came to Luc Plamondon to make this sentence an upsetting song.

More popular than ever, Renee Claude records her albums with the musicians of the City Émard Blues Band, and it “treats to”” the Place of Arts at each year, between 1971 and 1974. In 1975, it is distribution of the spectacles with great deployment of the national Festival of Quebec, in particular that on the Mount-Royal , then, always in 1975, it lends its superb voice to the album Neiges of André Gagnon, this last having dedicated to him its Chanson for Renee Claude . This same year, she endisque sound thirteenth album ( I am a woman ) then a fourteenth album who will follow as of the year 1976 ( the enamour, the désamour ) and she is once again nice successes with the extracts of these two last opus, of which I am a woman , That begins like that the stories of love , I start again with living , Rêver color , the amante and marries it and It is the love which carries out the world . She takes part in 1976 in the Festival of Spa, in Belgium, then after a short well deserved rest period, she records in 1978 the 45 turns Are You Lonesome Tonight and the song Saint-Jovite in duet with Jean Robitaille, two titles which know a beautiful popularity. To finish the Seventies in beauty, Renee Claude offers to her public in 1979 one fifteenth microgroove entitled Hello and which is announced by the songs Prends me , happiness and I am a cat . The same year, it diversifies its trade and Co-animates with Winston McQuade the emission “the rush hour” with the Société Radio-Canada.

With the arrival of the Years 1980, Renee Claude forsakes a little his career of popular singer in order to pay many homages to the artists whom she loves. It begins as of 1980 with a titled show Me it is Clémence whom I love best the , spectacle of songs, monologs and poems which pays homage to his/her friend Clémence Desrochers and which Renee present at the Théâtre of Quat' under with Montreal and everywhere at the Quebec like with Paris. Following this success, it records in 1982 a complete album of songs of Clemence Desrochers who carries the same title as the spectacle Ci-high mentioned and which contains the songs the life of factrie , I will make a garden , One had a beautiful good summer , That feels spring , Your departure and the man of my life . In alternation with this homage to Clémence, Renee Claude creates the spectacle I have appointment with you in 1981, this time to honor Georges Brassens, this large singer French whom the interpreter admires so much. Besides she returns with accuracy the poetic songs, full with liveliness and of nonconformism of Brassens and, as she previously did for Clémence, she records in 1983 a disc entirely devoted to the work of Brassens. The album, which will be republished out of compact disk ten years later, in 1993, contains in particular the following titles: I have appointment with you , With the wood of my heart , the buddies initially , Chanson for Auvergnat , in love ones with the public benches , It does not have there happy love , the wedding march and especially the round of the swearwords whose Québécois adaptation of the second verse and second refrain made by Plume Latraverse is worth the turning. Renee Claude goes up thereafter regularly on scene, with the general request, to present her spectacles on Desrochers and Brassens that one him redemande unceasingly. But in 1986, it returns to the popular song with an album, supported by musics much more rock'n'roll that those which it had accustomed us until now. With the lyric writer and realizer Marc Desjardins, the guitarist Serge Laporte and the type-setter German Gauthier, it launches the microgroove the future is woman whose song title is a nice success. The album, which contains also the titles One of too , Marcher on water , Bleu harms , Coup of cockroach , Mathématique and I am not any more afraid of the black , is republished in Compact disk 18 years later, in 2004. However, in spite of this success, and after the launching of a last popular song (the 45 turns My video nights in 1989), Renee Claude completely disappears from this field in order to touch with other facets of her trade and especially, to pay homage to her other idol of always, Léo Ferré.

In January 1987, Renee Claude presents to the public a new spectacle in company of Claude Léveillée, a show-concept entitled Partenaires in the crime . The two artists share the scene of the Theater Harlequin with an obvious happiness, and criticism is, like always, very good towards the work of Renee. In 1988, after having taken part in the spectacle retro Of Youth to today , it goes to Saint-Malo, in France, to take part this time in the Festival of the Québécois song, then with Sète, all in the south of the France, birthplace of Brassens, to sing with the Festival of this city. In 1990, under the direction of Andre Brassard, it is distribution of the splendid opera Nelligan , according to the work of the author Michel Tremblay on musics of André Gagnon. Renee interprets there the role of the journalist Robertine Barry, alias Francoise, friend and protective of Emile Nelligan. Those which saw this opera, nobody can forget sublimates it interpretation which made Renee of the air of the indifference … Among the other artists composing the distribution of the spectacle, note Louise Forestier in the role of Emilie, the mother of Emile, Jim Corcoran in the role of David, the father, like Yves Soutière and Michel Comeau, all both in the role of Emile Nelligan, young person or old man. Without any doubt happy and proud of this experiment, Renee Claude takes the taste of the trade of actress and wants to push the deepening further from this new shutter. As of 1991, it plays in the play You made like a call of Marthe Mercure, then in the Televised series of Janette Bertrand the Love with large has , in 1992, in particular in the episode That formed not part of the job which tells the life of various women badgered sexually by their owners. Renee Claude with the chance to give the counterpart to senior actors whose Robert Toupin, Elects Guilbault, Denis Bouchard, Sophie Clément, Rita Bibeau, Louis De Santis and Annette Parking. She returns to the theater at the summer 1992 and finds the director André Brassard who directs it this time in Marcel continued by the dogs of Michel Tremblay. Renee Claude is also with the credits of the television serial Triplex of Christian Fournier (in 1994 - 1995), in the role of Angele, and this at the sides of the actors Aubert Pallascio, Francis Reddy, Emmanuel Charest and Claudia Ferri. She goes even until making cinema! She is indeed one of the actresses of film of Denise Filiatrault It you in your turn, Laura Cadieux (1997), production based on the novel of Michel Tremblay which also puts in the high-speed motorboat Ginette Reno, Pierrette Robitaille, Mireille Thibault, Adèle Reinhardt and Sonia Vachon, just as the actors Donald Pilon, Denis Bouchard and Martin Drainville. The result is extremely conclusive since the film, a tasty comedy, is a very great business success… Renee Claude also appears in the Northern film Station of the realizer Jean-Claude Lord, in 2002. This production is a nice tale of Christmas, and the role of the Father Christmas is held by the sympathetic nerve Benoît Brière. Roxane G. - Loiseau, Gaston Lepage and Catherine Florent supplement the distribution of this family film.

Meanwhile, and parallel to its work of actress, Renee Claude carries out another project which is expensive to him: that of a new spectacle, this time to pay homage to large the Léo Shoed. This spectacle is born in 1993 and it has as a name One went on the love . Funny of coincidence, Ferré dies a few days only before the first of Renee, which still gives a greater dimension to the spectacle, a greater febrility. This song recital, which explores the broad topics of the poet (the love, death, loneliness, anarchy…) an enormous success obtains, as well criticizes as popular, and Renee Claude will walk with him of an end to the other of the Quebec. Indeed, between 1993 and 1996, it will be on the scenes of the theaters of the Coffee of the Place of Arts, the Unicorn, the Theater of Quat' under (all with Montreal) and of the Theater Small Champlain (with Quebec) just as elsewhere with the country, then it will present its concert homage in France, Suisse and Italy. In order to support the whole, it launches on the market, in 1994, a majestic double disc, a box entitled One went on the love: Renee Claude sings Léo Ferré and the album is so much well made and looked after that he sees himself giving in April 1996, with Paris, the prestigious Grand Prix of the Académie Charles-Cross-country race, which is a whole honor for the artist! The box contains in particular the songs Twenty years , Y' has a star , the anarchists , Neither god nor main , Pauvre Rutebeuf , I sing to spend time and, of course, It is extra and With time . Moreover, in August 1997, with the funeral of the young actress Marie-Sun Tougas deceased in a tragedy air crash close to Kuujjuaq, in the North-of-Quebec, it is in Renee Claude that one appeals to come to sing a title of Léo Ferré, that Marie-Sun adored it too. Renee makes the choice sing Y' has a star in homage to the young woman, a song which she considers merry and teases, with the Marie-Sun image. She also takes part in the spectacle and the disc the memory of the boxes with songs at the sides of Claude Dubois, André Gagnon, Claude Léveillée, Robert Charlebois, Pierre Létourneau, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Claude Gauthier, Bruno Pelletier, Louise Forestier and well of others… In 1997, the album doubles the refrains initially is launched, and this box is actually a republication of the first four albums (1963-1966) of the singer. The following year, in 1998, it is with the tower of the double compilation It was the beginning of a new time to be born, and this new box gathers 34 of greatest successes of Renee Claude, all extracted from his prolific period Barclay (1969-1974). It was time, since the public had off awaited this “best” for several years already…

Discography - Albums

1963 : Renee Claude Volume 1 (Sélect Discs)
1964: Renee Claude Volume 2 (Sélect Discs)
1965: Renee Claude Volume 3 - There was one day (Sélect Discs)
1966: Renee Claude Volume 4 (Sélect Discs)
1966: the gold Disc (Sélect Discs)
1967: Renee Claude (Columbia Discs)
1969: Renee Claude (Barclay)
1969: It tower of the ground (Barclay)
1970: the beginning of a new time (Barclay)
1971: You will find peace (Barclay)
1972: I take again my breath (Barclay)
1973: This evening I make love with you (Barclay)
1973: great successes Barclay vol. 1 (Compilation doubles) (Barclay)
1974: great successes Barclay vol. 2 (Compilation doubles) (Barclay)
1975: I am a woman (London)
1976: the enamour, the désamour (London)
1979: Hello (the Solset Discs)
1982: Me it is Clémence whom I love best the (Discs Pro-Culture, Réédition CD in 2002: Discs Transit)
1983: Renee Claude sings Georges Brassens (Discs GMD)
1986: the future is woman (Discs GMD)
1990: Nelligan (Audiogram Discs/Star)
1993: I have appointment with you - Renee Claude sings Georges Brassens (Discs Transit)
1994: One went on the love: Renee Claude sings Léo Ferré (Discs Transit)
1997: refrains initially (Fonovox)
1998: It was the beginning of a new time (Discs Transit)
2006: Between the Earth and the sun - Renee Claude sings Luc Plamondon (Discs Transit/Interdisc)

Participations in other albums

1963 : Songs to measure - Québécois Collective - Sheet of GUI (Adagio)
1964: Christmas of our chansonniers - Collective for Christmas - In each December (Sélect Discs)
1975: Andre Gagnon - Snows - Song for Renee Claude (London)
1978: Jean Robitaille - Make beautiful dreams - Saint-Jovite (Discs Gamma)
1985: Quebec-Africa foundation - Collective for Ethiopia - eyes of the hunger (Kébec-Disc)
1993: Holy Night - Collective for Christmas - Three angels and faithful People (with Claude Gauthier) (Arpeggio Music)
1995: Luc Plamondon “the great songs” - Collective artists in homage to Luc Plamondon - This evening I make love with you (Guy Cloutier Productions)
1996: Memory of the boxes with songs - Québécois Collective - the marchioness cotton (DisQuébec)
1998: I remember - Box commemorative of the Québécois song (GSI Musique)
1998: Stephan Venne - time is good (Discs Quotation)
2006: Pierre Létourneau - Rush hours - I would like well that you are sung (with Pierre Létourneau and Claude Gauthier) (Discs of the open blind)

Roles with the theater, on television and with the cinema

1987 : Partners in the crime (Spectacle-concept with Claude Léveillée)
1990: Nelligan (Opera of Michel Tremblay and Andre Gagnon, put in scene of Andre Brassard)
1991: You made like a call (Part of Marthe Mercure)
1992: the Love with large has (TV-theater of Janette Bertrand, episode That formed not part of the job )
1992: Marcel continued by the dogs (Part of Michel Tremblay, put in scene of Andre Brassard)
1994 - 1995: Plywood (Television serial of Christian Fournier)
1997: It you in your turn, Laura Cadieux (Film of Denise Filiatrault)
2002: Northern Station (Film of Jean-Claude Lord)

Source

Article “Renee Claude” on archives.emissions.ca (author: Donald Jr. Bilodeau, May 6th, 2005, taken again on Wikipédia by the same author)

Random links: