Lévesque was born in
Montreal on October 7, 1928. He learned piano under
Rodolphe Mathieu and drama under
Madame Audet.[1] Shortly after, he met his wife and they married soon after. Inspired by the work of
Charles Trenet,[3] he began writing songs in the 1940s and started performing in various
cabarets around Montreal. He had his first significant breakthrough in 1947, when he was invited to perform several of his songs on
CKAC radio by
Fernand Robidoux.[4]
Career
Lévesque was cohost with
Colette Bonheur of the variety series Mes jeunes années on
Radio-Canada from 1952 to 1954. He subsequently spent several years living in France, where he recorded for
Barclay Records and had his songs recorded by French artists such as
Bourvil,
Jean Sablon,
Cora Vaucaire and
Eddie Constantine.[1] During this time he wrote "Quand les hommes vivront d'amour", which was inspired by the contemporaneous
Algerian War; first recorded by Constantine, the song has since been recorded and performed by many artists in both France and Canada.[1] Other noted songs he wrote during this era included "Les Trottoirs", "La Vénus à Mimile", "Le Coeur du Bon Dieu" and "Rosemont sous la pluie".[1]
Lévesque received a lifetime achievement award from the
Prix Félix in 1980.[4] By the mid-1980s, Lévesque had suffered profound hearing loss and was diagnosed as
deaf. He abandoned music but continued to write, publishing several further works of poetry, fiction and political satire.[7]
In 2016, a new song written by Lévesque, titled "Les jours d'amour", was recorded and released by singer
Marie-Josée Longchamps.[10] He died on February 15, 2021, in
Montreal. He was 92, and had been diagnosed with
COVID-19 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec in the time leading up to his death.[7][11]
^
abcdefVersailles, Claire; Taylor, Rachelle (June 11, 2008).
"Front de libération du Québec (FLQ)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved February 17, 2021.