From yéyé to singer, René Letarte is no longer

Another figure in Quebec pop has just passed away. René Letarte died Monday in Lévis, at the age of 84, following a long illness.


René Letarte had his first success in the 1960s, as bassist and lyricist of the group Bel Canto, to whom we owe, among other things, the success Discouraged (I’m in despair!). In this era dominated by “versions” of English-speaking hits, the Quebec quintet was one of the first to write its own songs in the vein of the Beatles, a distinction in itself. He also recorded at Abbey Road studio in 1970 and performed at the Osaka International Festival in Japan that same year.


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