Michel Rivard

Michel Rivard born September 27 1951 is a singersongwriter and musician from Quebec born in Montreal His father Robert Rivard was an actor Michel began his career at an early age appearing in a Canadian television series Rue des Pignons and in TV commercials Rivards career as a writer and composer began in earnest when he became a member of the theatrical group Quenouille Bleue established in 1970 Later he became a member of Théâtre Sainfoin when it was founded in 1973 In 1974 Rivard and other members of Théâtre Sainfoin formed the group Beau Dommage an old Québécois expression meaning certainly or damn right Rivard wrote and composed for Beau Dommage Beau Dommage became a very popular group and as a result of his songwriting ability Rivards popularity increased as well Perhaps his most popular song from this era is La complainte du phoque en Alaska Although Beau Dommage disbanded in 1978 there were reunion concerts in 1984 and 1994 both of which Rivard participated in Characteristic of Rivards creative energy he also put out his first solo album in 1977 Méfiezvous du grand amour In 1978 as a sign of his increased prestige Michel opened for Maxime Le Forestier and was accompanist for Forestier at the Olympia in Paris Although an unlikely pairing it resulted in a continued friendship Rivard released his second LP De Longueuil à Berlin in 1979 that year also marked the beginning of Rivards appearance in a series of concerts in Paris The following years saw Rivard involved in various collaborations including film collaborations These film collaborations included roles in Les Enfants de Kennedy and Maria Chapdelaine He also wrote scores for films such as André Melançons LEspace dun été and JeanMichel Ribess Rien ne va plus He also acted playing the lead Yves Simoneaus Pourquoi létrange Monsieur Zolock sintéressaitil tant à la bande dessinée Why is the Strange Mr Zolock so interested in Comic Strips 1982 He joined the LNI Ligue nationale dimprovisation National Improvisation League in 1980 and performed for several years Not wanting to miss an opportunity for some political humour Rivard was a candidate for the satirical Rhinoceros Party of Canada in 1980 when he ran against former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau He returned to music in 1983 with the release of his third LP Sauvage This LP included Schefferville le dernier train a tune that became quite popular and which was written for the film Le Dernier glacier Rivard also acted in this film Rivard made a music video of another song on Sauvage Rumeurs sur la ville It was directed by Louis Saia and André Gagnon and won the Félix Video Clip of the Year for 1985 awarded at the ADISQ Association du disque de lindustrie du spectacle québécois et de la vidéo award ceremonies During this time Rivard toured Quebec He released a fourth LP called Bonsoir Mon nom est Michel Rivard et voici mon album double This was a live recording made during his 1983 and 1984 concerts These live show recordings display his adeptness at comic improvisation as well as his musical creativity Source Article Michel Rivard from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30