Michel Robidoux, songwriter recognized for his work with great performers and for having long written the music of Master key, died on the weekend at the age of 78.
Michel Robidoux has left his mark on more than 300 songs over the past fifty years. Among his many feats of arms, his collaboration in the composition and arrangements of the legendary album Yellow by Jean-Pierre Ferland. He also performed and arranged pieces from the record I’m your man by Leonard Cohen. In terms of his collaborations, we can count great names in Quebec music, including Robert Charlebois, Yvon Deschamps and Louise Forestier.
Son of the performer Fernand Robidoux and of the actress and musician Jeanne Couët, Michel Robidoux has led a career often passed in the shadows, but whose impact is striking for Quebec music. Musician for The Osstidcho, collaborator at La Boîte à Clémence, guitarist and arranger on the album Robert Charlebois with Louise Forestier, he later worked with his musical brother Pierre F. Brault on the composition of the music for the youth program Master key.
Several people, from the world of music and the public, pay tribute to him on Monday, following the announcement of his death. “A very moved thought for the great Michel Robidoux who left us (sic), wrote on Twitter the musician and composer Philippe Brault. The luck that I had to know him and to spend time in the studio with him and his eyes of eternal amazed child, I keep that in me very preciously. The eternal little king. Thank you Michel. For everything “
“A man of infinite kindness who will be missed. Musician the Osstidcho, composer of Yellow from Ferland, from Master key he also worked with Leonard Cohen and an incredible amount [d’artistes] of our song. I would have liked so much that he saw the opening of our House of song and music, ”wrote Monique Giroux on Facebook, in tribute to her friend.
“Quebec has just lost a great man of music. I offer my most sincere condolences to the family and friends of this composer ”, for her part wrote the Minister of Culture Nathalie Roy.
Winner of five Félix awards during his career, he owes three (1982, 1983 and 1986) to his work in the music of the show Master key, which won it the Children’s Album of the Year category. In 1985, he won the Félix award for arranger of the year (Cinnamon and Prune Christmas) and in 2003, that of the Country Album (Recorded songs). He received this last distinction as a bassist in the group Les ours.
In 2007, his song The little king, performed by Jean-Pierre Ferland, was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The piece is also crowned SOCAN Great Classic, while three other of its songs are named SOCAN Classics: I dream in Rio by Robert Charlebois, When we love we are always twenty years old by Jean-Pierre Ferland, and Tonight i make love with you (written with Luc Plamondon), by Renée Claude.
In 2017, Michel Robidoux released his very first album, Robidoux Premier, on which artists resumed his great successes. There are also three pieces performed by Michel Robidoux on this disc produced by Philippe Brault and overseen by Pierre Lapointe.