PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
His friend Lise Benoit nods in agreement: “He was as passionate as you rarely see. » For his part, Michel Robitaille was 14 years old when he saw his first show. “It was Jean-Pierre Ferland at the Palais Montcalm, in Quebec,” he remembers. “It was he who aroused my interest in the French language. » Accompanied by his partner, he came to leave a bouquet of yellow flowers, in a nod to the legendary album, released in 1970. « YELLOW, this is the album that changed everything. His songs were already very good, but he entered modernity,” believes Mr. Robitaille.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
An opinion shared by Jean-Marc Dufour: “ YELLOW revolutionized Quebec song. » As for its author, he “marked all generations”. “He had an incredible influence on just about every other artist,” he says over his speaker, which plays his best-known songs on a loop. In the photo, the actor Yves Jacques came to leave a rose.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sitting on a bench, the singer’s niece, Ginette Ferland (photo), observes the scene in front of her. Children running between bouquets of flowers. Passersby stopping to read the handwritten thank you notes. “It touches me,” she whispers. If the place today bears the title of a song by her uncle, it is thanks to her. A few years ago, she submitted the idea as part of a citizen competition organized by the City of Montreal. The place was all the more significant as his grandfather – Jean-Pierre Ferland’s father – had operated a gas station there for nearly 30 years.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
When the place was inaugurated two years ago, her uncle “couldn’t believe it,” says Ginette Ferland, adding: “I’m lucky. This project allowed me to have access to him in the last years of his life. » “He rocked our youth,” testifies Line Richer. According to her, everyone carries memories associated with her songs. “My uncle loved A chance we have. When my aunt was dying in the hospital, he took me by the arm and said that to me: how lucky we are,” she says.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Of Belgian origin, Marie Dominique discovered it when she arrived in Quebec, more than 30 years ago. “I immediately loved him so much, but I didn’t understand why people said he was a great charmer! “, she jokes. It was when she saw him for the first time on stage at the Quebec Summer Festival that she finally understood his reputation. ” It was magical. He had such a presence… You had to see him! », she exclaims, before observing a short silence. “We are sad, but his songs will stay. »