Robert Charlebois

French singer Alain Bashung said he was one of the first to introduce irony into Quebecois chanson, to the tune of rock, blues and country. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Robert Charlebois, songwriter, musician and performer, has become an essential figure in chanson, not only in Quebec, but throughout the French-speaking world.

The man affectionately known as Garou was born in Montreal on June 25, 1944. He made his stage debut in September 1962 – not yet 20 – when he opened for Félix Leclerc at La Butte à Mathieu. In 1965, his song La Boulée, composed at the age of 16, won him the Grand Prix du Festival du disque.

In 1967, he took off! Charlebois released his third album, the cover of which showed him wearing his famous flowery soldier’s helmet. But, above all, it featured songs that would leave their mark on his repertoire: the almost psychedelic C’est pour ça, the tender Marie-Noël and the colorful Demain l’hiver. That same year, Charlebois took a three-month trip to California, where he was influenced by the counter-culture and met some of America’s finest rock musicians. His music began to become more electrified, and his lyrics, which borrowed from popular language, expressed a very urban poetry. The Lindberg anthem, a pure product of this era, sent shockwaves through the music world and established his reputation once and for all.

In 1968, he scored his first major triumph with the memorable show L’Osstidcho, which captured the aspirations of a non-conformist youth eager for change. Charlebois and his accomplices Yvon Deschamps, Louise Forestier and Mouffe surprised the cultural scene with their audacity and provocative humor. Shortly afterwards, he won the Grand Prix at the Festival de la chanson française in Spa, Belgium, for his two songs Lindberg and California. In 1969, he performed for the first time at the Olympia in Paris, another memorable show, and won first prize for interpretation in Sopot, Poland, for the song Ordinaire. He then embarked on a long series of tours of Quebec, Canada and Europe, including a famous cross-Canada rail tour with some of the leading figures on the American rock scene, such as Janis Joplin, The Band and The Grateful Dead.

In the 70s, Charlebois, who collaborated with writer Réjean Ducharme, continued to rack up hits with titles such as Le mur du son, Conception, Fu Man Chu, Cauchemar and The Frog Song. Alongside other big names in Quebec chanson, he also took part in shows that have gone down in history: the Superfrancofête (1974) and the Fêtes de la Saint-Jean in Quebec City and Montreal (1976). During the ’80s and ’90s, Charlebois tried his hand at cinema and went into business for himself. He kept a low profile on stage, but never abandoned music.

In 2001, Robert Charlebois made a comeback of sorts. A new album, Doux sauvage, once again surprised critics and audiences with the quality of its lyrics and music, its poetry and vitality. In 2005, he released a best of album, Tout écartillé, with a repertoire of songs that are as contemporary as ever, as much in their lyrics as in their music – an eminently powerful repertoire. 2006 saw the release of a double live album, immortalizing on CD and DVD a breathtaking show performed at full throttle by an explosive, electric Charlebois at the height of his powers.

Autumn 2010, Charlebois is back with Tout est bien, a new album of original songs. Twelve songs with sophisticated arrangements, from folk to orchestral pop. One big theme: love. Love and life, love and death, love and the passing of time. On Tout est bien, Charlebois delivers interpretations marked by a voice that is uniquely his own, a voice as deeply nuanced as ever.

In 2013, Charlebois celebrates 50 years in the music business. To celebrate the occasion, a boxed set of fifty must-have songs that have marked his career as a writer, composer and performer has been launched. 50 ans, 50 chansons is a striking portrait of an artist who has never been afraid of anything or anyone.

Still a formidable performer, Robert Charlebois presents from 2019 to 2022 a large-scale rock concert that unfolds both musically and visually: Robert en CharleboisScope. On top form as never before, he joins forces with a team of top-flight visual artists for this show-event, which is reminiscent of the amphitheatre shows of famous international groups. Rarely has there been such a large-scale production for a home-grown artist! The show won three Félix awards, including Show of the Year at the Gala de l’ADISQ 2020.

An all-new show, Charlebois, Ducharme et les autres, will be released in 2023… A tour of only a few dates is planned in Quebec and France. In a more intimate format, surrounded by five musicians, he recounts his musical roots in song and music. Stories of discovery, encounters, friendships and creation.

His musical audacity, artistic integrity and powerful, immortal songs have made him his country’s first true rockstar, and one of the creators of the French-speaking world whose international influence seems inexhaustible. Charlebois has received numerous awards and distinctions, testifying to the recognition of his peers, the quality of his thousands of shows and his thirty-odd albums: Prix de l’Académie Charles-Cros, Gold Medal of the Olympiades de la chanson, Prix de la Ville de Paris, Médaille de Vermeil de l’Académie française, Governor General’s Performing Arts Award of Canada, the Félix hommage de l’ADISQ for his body of work, and the insignia of Commandeur de l’ordre des arts et des lettres in France.
Like other giants of Quebec chanson before him, such as Leclerc and Vigneault, Robert Charlebois left his mark on his era and exerted a profound influence on many singer-songwriters. Indeed, without him, there might not have been any Richard Desjardins, Jean Leloup, Colocs or Cowboys Fringants…

In a career spanning more than 60 years, Robert Charlebois has seen triumph after triumph on both sides of the Atlantic, in America and Europe.