Nanette

Radio Oh-la-la's Natasha keeps on delivering the good stuff. Care for some disco?

"Nanette Workman belongs to a special breed of Québécois artists, who as immigrants were willing to live in Québec and learn French rather than coast along as an English minority. Nanette may have started her singing and acting career in English in her native United States, but in the mid-1960s when Québécois culture was en vogue, Nanette was not only crowned Best Female Discovery of 1967 as a French-language artist, she had also become one of their own.

How does a rising young television star and Broadway singer from Mississippi end up in Montréal? First, she met Tony Roman (Anthony d'Ambrosio) in a New York City club, who offered her the chance to sing a rock version of Et Maintenant by Gilbert Bécaud. Nanette’s talent was more than obvious, but unfortunately, so was her broken French. Her accent was such an issue that Tony Roman had to create his own record company to record Nanette.

Nanette learned French and charmed audiences with her American accent, appearing often on television, in particular on the show Jeunesse d'aujourd'hui, a sort of Quebecois version of Soul Train. Her second single was called Peint en noir, a French version of The Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black. In 1968 she not only sang back-up on The Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Women, but also for John Lennon, Elton John and many other big stars, never mind parts in many movies that also involves extensive name dropping.

In Paris she sang with Johnny Halliday, touring several continents before returning to Québec in 1974. That year, she recorded many hits, including a French version of Lady Marmalade. Another hit that definitely shows off her voice is the 1978 version of Ce soir on danse from the rock opera Starmania, written by Québec-France dream team Luc Plamondon and Michel Berger. Of all the duets Nanette performed, one of the favourites remains Aimer d’amourwith Québec’s first-ever French-language funk artist, Boule Noire (Georges Thurston), who also learned French and made Québec his home."

Nanette Workman - Ce Soir On Danse
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Nanette Workman - Lady Marmelade
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Boule Noire & Nanette Workman - Aimer d'Amour
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