Gilles Vigneault

Gilles Vigneault
Background information
Born (1928-10-27) 27 October 1928
Natashquan, Quebec
Occupation(s) Poet, publisher, singer-songwriter
Years active 1959-present
Website http://gillesvigneault.com/

Gilles Vigneault, GOQ (French pronunciation: ​[ʒil viɲo]; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, publisher and singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Quebec's unofficial anthems: "Mon pays"[1] and "Les gens de mon pays",[2] and his line Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver (My country is not a country, it is winter, from "Mon Pays") became a proverb in Quebec.[3] Vigneault is a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec, Knight of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Life and career

Vigneault was born in Natashquan, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.

Vigneault started writing poetry during his studies at the Seminary in Rimouski, and by the 1950s was publishing poems and writing songs for other performers. In 1959 he founded the publishing house Les Éditions de l'Arc to distribute his publications.[4] His first collection, Étraves, was published in 1959.[5]

In 1960 Vigneault made his singing debut at the L'Arlequin club in Quebec City.[6] followed by a successful Montreal concert later that year.[7] In 1962 he recorded his first album, Gilles Vigneault, and received the Grand prix du disque from Montreal radio station CKAC. His reputation grew in Quebec and beyond with the success of his song "Mon Pays", from the soundtrack of the NFB film La neige a fondu sur la Manicouagan (1965).[8]

Vigneault's reputation as a songwriter and performer grew and he became popular not only in Quebec, but also in English Canada and Europe.[9] Vigneault performed in major Canadian concert halls, including Montreal's Place des Arts, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and at Toronto's Massey Hall. In Europe he toured in France, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium and Luxembourg.[10]

The mid-1970s saw Vigneault's participation in several major events. On 13 August 1974, 130,000 spectators came together on the Plains of Abraham for the Superfrancofête, where Vigneault participated in an historic concert alongside Félix Leclerc and Robert Charlebois. The concert was recorded and released as the album J'ai vu le loup, le renard, le lion. At the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day concert "Les 5 Jean-Baptistes" on Montreal's Mount Royal on 24 June 1976, Gilles Vigneault performed together with Robert Charlebois, Claude Léveillée, Jean-Pierre Ferland and Yvon Deschamps. This concert was recorded and released as Une fois cinq, which later received the Grand Prix du Disque (the Charles Cros award).[11]

Vigneault's political views have remained strongly in favour of national sovereignty for Quebec. During the Quebec general election, 2014 campaign Gilles Vigneault supported the Parti Québécois.[12]

The main subjects of Vigneault's writing are Quebec and its people, as well as human relationships, love and everyday life.[13] Vigneault is also concerned with environmental issues and has written songs and tales for children.[14]

Family

Gilles Vigneault has seven children: Michel, Louis, François (a poet and a lyricist), Pascale, Guillaume (a novelist), Jessica (a pianist and a singer) and Benjamin (a percussionist).[15]

Discography

[16]

Honours

Vigneault has received a number of honorary doctorates including:

Vigneault has received numerous awards and honours:

He is a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec (2000), Knight of the Légion d'honneur (1986), and Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1990).[32]

Several cultural institutions and streets in Quebec and France bear the name of Gilles Vigneault:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gilles Vigneault - The Canadian Encyclopedia
  2. ↑ Biographie Gilles Vigneault - MusicMe
  3. ↑ "Gilles Vigneault." Oxford Essential Quotations. Ed. Ratcliffe, Susan. : Oxford University Press. Oxford Reference. 2012. Date Accessed 6 May. 2014.
  4. ↑ Gilles Vigneault - The Canadian Encyclopedia
  5. ↑ Étraves (Gilles Vigneault): une lecture de Paul Laurendeau
  6. ↑ Gilles Vigneault - The Canadian Encyclopedia
  7. ↑ WMarshall, Joyce. "Vigneault, Gilles." The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. : Oxford University Press, 1997. Oxford Reference. 2006. Date Accessed 6 May. 2014
  8. ↑ Gilles Vigneault - Biografie - RFI Musique
  9. ↑ Marshall, Joyce. "Vigneault, Gilles." The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. : Oxford University Press, 1997. Oxford Reference. 2006. Date Accessed 6 May. 2014
  10. ↑ Gilles Vigneault - The Canadian Encyclopedia
  11. ↑ Biographie Gilles Vigneault - MusicMe
  12. ↑ Quebec songwriter Gilles Vigneault's heart 'broken' by PQ loss
  13. ↑ Marshall, Joyce. "Vigneault, Gilles." The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. : Oxford University Press, 1997. Oxford Reference. 2006. Date Accessed 6 May. 2014
  14. ↑ Gilles Vigneault - Biografie - RFI Musique
  15. ↑ Biographie Gilles Vigneault - MusicMe
  16. ↑ Gilles Vigneault. "Gilles Vigneault | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  17. ↑ Trent Honorary Graduates
  18. ↑ Doctorats honorifiques
  19. ↑ Hommage à monsieur Gilles Vigneault
  20. ↑ Honorary degree recipients - honorary degrees and ceremonials sub-committee
  21. ↑ Mon pays - The Canadian encyclopedia
  22. ↑ Governor General’s Literary Awards - Encyclopedia Britannica
  23. ↑ Prix de musique Calixa-Lavallée - The Canadian encyclopedia
  24. ↑ Gagné, Marc (1977). Gilles Vigneault :bibliographie descriptive et critique, discographie, filmographie, iconographie, chronologie. Québec: Presses de l'Université Laval,. p. 430. ISBN 0774667990.
  25. ↑ Gilles Vigneault
  26. ↑ Cumulative list - The Canada Council for the Arts
  27. ↑ Vigneault, Gilles Prix Denise-Pelletier 1983
  28. ↑ Jacques-Blanchet, médaille (prix de musique)
  29. ↑ Lauréats - Grande médaille de la Chanson française
  30. ↑ http://www.bce.ca/ggawards/en/recipient.html?p_vigneault_g
  31. ↑ Billboard Bits: Songwriters Hall, Big & Rich, Pretty Girls Make Graves
  32. ↑ Gilles Vigneault - Ordre national du Québec
  33. ↑ Bibliothèque Gilles-Vigneault
  34. ↑ École Gilles-Vigneault
  35. ↑ École Gilles-Vigneault de Marseille
  36. ↑ Rue Gilles-Vigneault Blainville - Googlemaps
  37. ↑ Rue Gilles-Vigneault Rimouski - Googlemaps
  38. ↑ Rue Gilles-Vigneault Granby - Googlemaps

Further reading

External links

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