Robert Charlebois
Robert Charlebois is a Canadian author, composer, musician, performer and actor.
Charlebois was born in Montreal, Quebec. Among his best known songs are Lindberg, Ordinaire, Les Ailes d'un Ange and Je reviendrai à Montréal. His lyrics, often written in joual, are funny, relying upon plays on words. He won the Sopot International Song Festival in 1970.
In 1970, he sang with Italian singer Patty Pravo the Italian song La solitudine. In the same year, he performed at the Festival Express train tour in Canada, but did not appear on the documentary film.
In 1968, he had an acting role in Jean Pierre Lefebvre's film Straight to the Heart . He co-starred with Terence Hill, Miou-Miou and Patrick McGoohan in the western Un genio, due compari, un pollo as Steamengine Bill. Thirty-eight years later, Charlebois had a cameo as Jean-Seb Bigstone, the French-Canadian Broadway producer, in the 2012 Gad Elmaleh/Sophie Marceau film Happiness Never Comes Alone.
The Quebec-based microbrewery Unibroue was owned, in part, by Charlebois until it was purchased by Sleeman Breweries in 2004 which in turn was bought by Japanese beer brewing giant Sapporo in 2006.
He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010.
In 2021, he was named a Compagnon des arts et des lettres du Québec, in recognition of his role in “crystallizing the state of an awakened population” and his cultural influence through more than 50 years of creative contributions.
On 31 January 2024 a new tour and show were announced in celebration of his 80th birthday year, with dates in Quebec and a Paris engagement.
Honours
- In 1994, Charlebois received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement for his contribution to music in Canada.
- In 1999, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2008, he was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec.
- Charlebois was one of the four musicians who were pictured on the second series of the Canadian Recording Artist Series issued by Canada Post stamps on July 2, 2009.
- On June 21, 2010, Charlebois received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University in Montreal. In his acceptance speech he made the remark that this was the first post-secondary diploma he had received in his life.
- In 2016 he became a recipient of the Order of Montréal
- In 2021, he was named a Compagnon des arts et des lettres du Québec.
Music in films
- Between Salt and Sweet Water by Michel Brault, with Geneviève Bujold, Claude Gauthier
- Je T'aimerai Toujours
- Two Women in Gold by Claude Fournier, with Monique Mercure, Louise Turcot
- A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe by Damiano Damiani, with Terence Hill, Patrick McGoohan
- L'Agression by Gérard Pirès, with Jean-Louis Trintignant, Catherine Deneuve
- by Charles Nemes, with Thierry Lhermitte, Barbara Nielsen
- Sauve-toi, Lola by Michel Drach, with Carole Laure, Jeanne Moreau
- August 32nd on Earth by Denis Villeneuve, with Pascale Bussières and Alexis Martin
- C.R.A.Z.Y. by Jean-Marc Vallée, with Michel Côté and Marc-André Grondin
- Gabrielle by Louise Archambault, with Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin and Alexandre Landry
Selected discography
- 1965 – Volume 1
- 1966 – Volume 2
- 1967 – Demain l'hiver...
- 1968 – Robert Charlebois avec Louise Forestier
- 1969 – Québec Love
- 1971 – Un gars ben ordinaire
- 1971 – Le Mont Athos
- 1972 – Fu Man Chu
- 1973 – Solidaritude
- 1974 – Je rêve à Rio
- 1976 – Longue Distance
- 1977 – Swing Charlebois Swing
- 1979 – Solide
- 1981 – Heureux en amour?
- 1983 – J't'aime comme un fou
- 1985 – Super Position
- 1988 – Dense
- 1992 – Immensément
- 1996 – Le Chanteur masqué
- 2001 – Doux Sauvage
- 2010 – ''Tout est bien''