Article

Robert Charlebois

Published Online April 5, 2009

Last Edited July 17, 2015

Robert Charlebois, singer, actor, songwriter, guitarist, pianist (b at Montréal 25 June 1944). As well as studying music (6 years of piano), Charlebois studied dramatic arts at the National Theatre School in Montréal from 1962 to 1965.

Charlebois, Robert

Robert Charlebois, singer, actor, songwriter, guitarist, pianist (b at Montréal 25 June 1944). As well as studying music (6 years of piano), Charlebois studied dramatic arts at the National Theatre School in Montréal from 1962 to 1965. A pioneer among CHANSONNIERS, both in his use of joual and in the theatrical way in which he presented his music, Charlebois has had a marked influence on the francophone chanson in general.

Charlebois received the Prix Félix-Leclerc in 1969 at the Festival du disque with "Lindberg," the same song that in 1968 won him the grand prize at the Festival international de la chanson française in Spa, Belgium. Another success was "Ordinaire," which took first prize at the International Festival in Sopot, Poland, in 1970. Louise Forestier and Mouffe (Claudine Monfette) have often appeared with him.

As an actor Charlebois appeared in the films Un Génie, deux associés, une cloche and Entre la mer et l'eau douce. In 1993 his record Immensément won a Victoire de la musique trophy in Paris for best world music album. Charlebois was honoured with the Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 1994.

Charlebois's immensely popular show La maudite tournée (an album of the same name appeared in 1995) was presented over 250 times in Québec and Europe. In 1996 he recorded another album, Le chanteur masqué, and in 1999 his first novel, On dirait ma femme... en mieux was published by Editions Stanké. Along with Robert LEPAGE he co-authored the music drama Jean sans nom, presented in Québec and Paris.

In addition to these musical, dramatic and literary activities, Charlebois is a successful businessman and has implemented, through his many tours of Québec's colleges, his mission to sensitize young people to the beauty and importance of Québec's literature, creative writing and musical heritage.