Aimé Major
Aimé Major | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1924 or 1926 |
| Died | June 9, 1996 (aged 70 or 72) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Occupations |
|
| Relatives | Léo Major (cousin) |
Aimé Major (February 7, 1924 or 1926 – June 9, 1996) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and actor.
Biography
Major was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 7 February 1924[1] or 7 February 1926.[2] His father was a singer and his mother was a pianist.[3]: 310 He was a cousin to Canadian Army soldier Léo Major.[4]
Aimé Major studied singing, notably with Albert Cornellier and Ria Lensenns, then theater at the Conservatoire Lasalle. He had his radio debut in 1947 in the show Horizons dorés. In 1948, he won the first prize at the competition show Les talents de chez nous (Radio-Canada).[3]: 310–311
From 1949 to 1953, Major sang with the Variétés lyriques in numerous operettas including Le voyage en Chine, Balalaïka, La Margoton du bataillon and La vie parisienne. During this period, he was the star of the radio show Aimé Major chante. He was an actor with the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent in the plays La dame de l'aube, Le bourgeois gentilhomme, Le malade imaginaire, Roméo et Juliette et Le voyage de monsieur Perrichon. In 1952, he played in Shakespeare's Henri V at the Festival of Stratford, in Ontario. He was invited to the Edinburgh Festival with other members of the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde troupe.[3]: 311
In the mid-1950s, Major turned to pop songs. He was a regular guest on variety shows and from 1959 to 1967 released the successful ballads on disc "Un train bleu dans la nuit". "Tu m’as donné (Merci mon Dieu)", "Maman", "Je reviendrai" and "J'avais 20 ans". He hosted the show La belle époque for a few years with Margot Campbell and sang in Quebec's cabarets. He still sang in a classical style on occasions, notably with Mathé Altéry on the show L'heure du concert in 1965 and in the operetta Monsieur Beaucaire in 1969.[3]: 311
In the mid-1970s, Major returned to disc with religious and spiritual songs. He published a new album in 1980, and then gave recital tours in churches and seniors' residences.[3]: 311
Major died on June 9, 1996.[1] In 1998, a street was named in his honor in Rock Forest–Saint-Élie–Deauville, Sherbrooke.[4]
Major's style was similar to Michel Louvain's style.[5]: 57
Discography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1957 | Vole ma chanson / Oh mon Dieu |
| 1959 | Un train bleu dans la nuit / La dernière fois |
| 1959 | Tu m’as donné / Tu te souviens |
| 1959 | Chevaliers de la Table ronde / Partons, la mer est belle |
| 1960 | Maman / Comme l’amour |
| 1961 | Le tango mystérieux / Passant par Paris[6] |
| 1961 | T’aimer, te chérir, t’adorer / Te souviens-tu |
| 1961 | L’hirondelle des faubourgs / Emmène-moi au bout du monde |
| 1961 | C’est l’amour / Je reviendrai |
| 1962 | Je Reviendrai[7] |
| 1962 | T’es ma roue de fortune / Vague à l’âme |
| 1963 | Un jour, je rêverai / Le joueur de luth |
| 1964 | J’avais 20 ans / Un coin de ciel bleu |
| 1964 | Merci à toi Noël / Le jour de l’an |
| 1965 | Chanson de Fortunio / Tes yeux moqueurs |
| 1966 | Je n’ai pas su t’aimer / L’été des amants |
| 1967 | L’important, c’est la rose / Parce que tu es là |
| 196? | À la claire fontaine / Chanson de l’Île-aux-Coudres / Hôtel de la Roche Pleureuse |
| 1980 | Garde au coeur l'espérance / Santa Maria de la mer |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Un souvenir d'Aimé Major |
| 1961 | Aimé Major chante l’amour |
| 1962 | Un jour, je rêverai |
| 1964 | Aimé Major |
| 1966 | La belle époque |
| 1967 | Aimé Major |
| 1974? | Marie |
| 1975? | Jésus et Marie |
| 1980 | Aimé Major |
| 1995 | De coeur et d'amour |
Filmography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Le voleur de rêves |
| 1959 | Encounter |
| 1959 | Les brûlés |
| 1959 | Il était une guerre |
| 1972 | The Doves |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Aimé Major | Discographie". disqu-o-quebec.com. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- 1 2 "Aimé Major(1926-1996)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thérien, Robert; D'Amours, Isabelle (1992). Dictionnaire de la musique populaire au Québec 1955-1992 (in French). Québec: Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture. ISBN 2-89224-183-9.
- 1 2 "Rue Major - Sherbrooke (Ville)". toponymie.gouv.qc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ Laberge, Yves (Autumn 2021). "Michel Louvain, ou la Louvainmania". Cap-aux-Diamants (147): 57–59 – via Érudit.
- ↑ "Canada's Best Sellers" (PDF). Cash Box. 6 May 1961.
- ↑ "Canada's Best Sellers" (PDF). Cash Box. 27 January 1962.
External links
- Aimé Major discography at Discogs
- Aimé Major at AllMusic