Claude Léveillée was a Canadian actor, pianist, and singer & songwriter who composed over 400 songs, instrumental scores, and musicals. He was born in Montréal, Canada. His mother was a pianist and his father was a tenor. Born into a musical family, he learned to play the piano at five without ever taking any lessons. He also played the accordion and harmonica. He began performing in the streets while taking economics and political science courses at the University of Montreal. 

He made his stage debut in 1955. He appeared on stage at the Université de Montréal in the magazine Bleu et Or, to perform a number by Gilbert Bécaud and Liberace. He was noticed by Noël Gauvin, director of the TV show Music-hall. Gauvin later approached Léveillée to compose the song Montréal for the singer Andrée D’Amour. In 1956, he founded Les Bozos, a group of singers composed of Clémence Desrochers, Hervé Brousseau, Jacques Blanchet, Jean-Pierre Ferland and Raymond Lévesque. Among the first songs he composed were “Frédéric,” “L’Hiver,” “Les Vieux Pianos” and “Rendez-vous.” In 1964, he was the first Québec-born solo artist to perform at Place des Arts. This is one of Canada’s largest music complexes. It is a major North American integrated centre for both visual and performing arts. He brought his music around the globe,  in Canada, France, The USSR, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, and central Asian countries. 

Apart from songs, he wrote music for theatres and films. He composed music for TV series such as Of Mice and Men, L’Échéance du vendredi, Le Pélican and Millionnaire à froid. He also wrote music for the film Les Beaux dimanches, and wrote musical comedies. He composed vocal concertos and music for the ballet Fleur de lit. Les Ballets-Jazz du Québec danced it during the Montréal Olympics. 

In the late 1970s,  he took a break from performing and switched focus to composing and acting. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he released several new albums and performed again. He was partially paralyzed in 2004, and his final album, Coeur sans pays, was recorded just days before his stroke and was released in 2008. He passed away in 2011 at the Laurentians. 

Léveillée’s work has a strong influence. They were recognized with numerous awards, including Officer of the Order of Canada and induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2006). As a result of his work, other artists can follow in his footsteps and achieve greater success. 

Sources:

1. Ménard, Denise, Betty Nygaard King, Suzanne Thomas, and Benoît L’Herbier. “Claude Léveillée.” l’Encyclopédie Canadienne. Historica Canada. Article publié juin 08, 2011; Dernière modification mars 04, 2015. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/fr/article/claude-leveillee
2. Julie Dufresne, Laurent Duval, Susan Spier, andRichard Haskell. “Music at Place des Arts.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published April 14, 2011; Last Edited April 27, 2023. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/place-des-arts-emc