Gilles Valiquette

Valiquette, Gilles

Gilles Valiquette. Singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, b Montreal 7 Apr 1952. Beginning his guitar studies at 12, he continued his musical training 1967-70 at the Lionel-Groulx College and then at the St-Laurent Cegep in Montreal. During this time he formed the group Someone, with which he made two singles, one for Visa and one for Canama. At the end of 1971 he joined Marie-Claire and Richard Séguin, and the following year he became Jacques Michel's accompanist. At the same time he composed and occasionally performed in student cafés throughout Quebec as well as in boîtes à chansons, including La Butte à Mathieu in Val David and Le Patriote in Montreal.

In 1972 Valiquette made his first LP, Chansons pour un café (Zodiaque ZOX-6008) and was described in La Presse (10 Mar 1973) as having 'an easy-going and melodious style, infinitely personal yet never obscure.' He then toured in Quebec and made a second LP, Deuxième Arrêt (1973, Zodiaque ZOX-6013), from which the song 'Je suis cool' was popular.

In Montreal Valiquette performed in St-Jean-Baptiste celebrations in 1973, 1974, and 1975 and appeared for the first time at PDA 1 Mar 1974 with other young singers. At this time the review Pop Rock designated him as the best guitarist in Quebec. In 1974 he participated in the International Festival of French Song (Spa Belgium), and between 1975 and 1977 he made the LPs Du même nom (Zodiaque ZOX-6017), Soirées d'automne (Trans-World INT-TI-6022), Valiquette est en ville (CBS PFS-90386), the latter preceding a tour in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Holland in 1977, and Vol de nuit (CBS PFS-90440). Some of his hits were reissued in 1976 on the LP Gilles Valiquette 1972-1975 (Trans-World INT-TI-6029). Valiquette toured 1978-9 in Quebec and Ontario as well as in Louisiana and northern Texas.

In 1980 he played the role of Roger Roger in the rock musical Starmania presented at the Comédie nationale theatre in Montreal (recorded on Beaubec BB-106). In 1982 Valiquette turned to computer recording techniques and set up one of the first fully computerized studios in Quebec. Valiquette has produced records for the singers Jim (Corcoran) and Bertrand (Gosselin), Plume Latraverse, Daniel Lavoie, Robert Paquette, Gilles Rivard, and Richard Séguin, among others. He also established a school of music computer applications, MusiTechnic. By 1991 his own recordings had been reissued on digital discs. Among his best known songs are 'Quelle belle journée,' 'Fais attention,' 'Samedi soir,' 'Sous un soleil d'été,' 'Un peu de bonheur,' and 'Blanc après noir.'