Fernand Gignac

Born Joseph Charles Fernand Gignac in Montreal (Canada) on March 23, 1934, and died in Montreal (Canada) on August 18, 2006, he was a Quebec pop singer and actor. At the age of 9, he won first place in Radio-Canada's amateur competition Les Talents de Chez nous . He went on to study singing and piano, before graduating in drama from the Conservatoire Lasalle. His first single, " Je n'ai fait que passer ", was released in 1957. Between 1959 and 1965, 10 of his songs reached number one on the Quebec charts: "Chérie, tu es frivole" (1959, #1 5 weeks), "Tango des jours heureux" (1959, #1 5 weeks), "La Fille de la forêt" (1960, #1 7 weeks), "Tu mens" (1960, #1 2 weeks), "Colombe" (1961, #1 4 weeks), "Do-ré-mi-fa" (1962, #1 1 week), "Donnez-moi des roses" (1962, #1 6 weeks), "La Montagne des amoureux" (1963, #1 8 weeks), "Le Train des amoureux" (1964, #1 4 weeks), and "Ne pleure pas" (1965, #1 3 weeks) . He was also the featured singer on Radio-Canada television's Le Club des Autographes in the '60s. During the 70's and 80's, he was an actor on popular shows such as Symphorien and Entre Chien Et Loup, as well as pursuing his career in music. He released 36 original albums, 52 singles and several compilations. He collaborated with artists including Gilles Latulippe in the 60s and the Ballroom Orchestra in the 80s. He also made several Christmas albums and recorded a rendition of the song "Minuit chrétien" , which became a classic of Quebec chanson. He died of hepatitis on August 18, 2006 at Hôpital St-Luc in Montreal.