Renée Martel

Born in Drummondville, Quebec, on June 26, 1947, country and pop singer Renée Martel was a major figure on the French-Canadian music scene. Daughter of country singer Marcel Martel and musician Noëlla Therrien, she grew up on the touring circuit. From an early age, she took part in family shows and developed a natural stage presence, recording her first songs in the mid-1960s, when the yéyé wave was still sweeping the Quebec scene. After her official debut in 1964, songs like "Liverpool" three years later, and albums of chanson and pop released at the end of the decade, she asserted her country identity and became a national star in the 1970s, with songs like "Un amour qui ne veut pas mourir" (1972), "Si on pouvait recommencer " (1972), "Cowgirl dorée " (1975) and duets with Michèle Bernard ("Quand va-t-on m'aimer?"), René Simard ("Souvenirs de vacances") and Fernand Gignac ("Darling"). At the height of her fame. Renée Martel made a string of television appearances and sold out concert halls. Over the years, she has won over an intergenerational audience with a repertoire that blends traditional country, melancholy ballads and popular songs. Her career was marked by several major albums, including Renée Martel (1968), Mon Roman d'Amour (1971), Un Amour Qui Ne Veut Pas Mourir (1972), Réflexions (1974), Tu N'es Plus Là (1978), Un Coin du Ciel (1981), C'est Mon Histoire (1982), Cadeau (1984), Authentique (1992), Country (1998) and A Mon Père (1999). In the decades that followed, she enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to a series of albums that underlined both the modernity and longevity of her work, with L'Héritage (2008), Une Femme Libre 2 (2012), La Fille de Son Père (2014) and Arrière-Saison (2018). In 2021, her collaboration with Paul Daraîche on "Nous on aime la musique country" was a huge success, confirming her status as a national country star. On December 18, 2021, Renée Martel dies of pneumonia at the age of 74.

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