Alice Robitaille
Encyclopedia
Alice Robitaille from Quebec City
, was a translator (to French) and singer of Latin American songs, who performed under the stage name
Alys Robi.
neighbourhood of Saint-Sauveur, Robitaille displayed talent for singing and acting at a very young age. She first performed on-stage at the Capitol Theater at 7. At the time, she had already sung on-air with the CHRC
radio station and was a real phenomenon in the whole city.
's Saint Catherine Street
. Under the direction of Rose Ouellette
, she learned acting and singing during a 75-week engagement. She continued her career in the Montreal cabaret
s, making radio appearances. For a time during the war, she also hosted a French radio show named Tambour battant ("Rumbling drum"). Touring Canadian military bases propelled her career across Canada.
During the 1940s, she started producing 78
s and she became renowned far beyond Canada
. She captured popular imagination with Latin titles like Besame Mucho and Tico tico, after translating herself the Spanish or Brazilian songs into French. She sang in chic New York
cabarets by the mid forties and in 1947, she travelled to England
where she made an appearance on the first regular BBC
television programme.
and was interned for several years in a Quebec City asylum. She was at some point subjected to a lobotomy
against her will. She credited the operation with her recovery:
"Je me réveillai guérie et j'ai compris plus tard que j'avais été un des rares cas réussis de lobotomie" (I woke up better and later understood that I was one of the rare lobotomy success stories). In 1952, she was released. The same year, she came back on stage at the Casa Loma and the Montmartre, but her efforts were impeded by taboo
s about mental problems and she never regained the same level of popularity.
, plays
and television series were written about her. A movie was released in December 2004: Alys Robi: Ma vie en cinémascope ("Alys Robi: My Life in Cinemascope"), titled Bittersweet Memories in English.
Robitaille has published two autobiographies
: Ma carrière, ma vie ("My Career, My Life", 1980) and Long Cri dans la nuit: Cinq Années à l'Asile ("Long Cry in the Night: Five Years in the Asylum", 1990).
Several of Robi's songs have been used for commercial ads. Sico, notably, played on the similarity between its brand name and the title of "Tico Tico" to produce a very catchy campaign based on a spoof of the song.
Robitaille died in the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
, Montreal, at the age of 88, on May 28, 2011.
Compilations :
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, was a translator (to French) and singer of Latin American songs, who performed under the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Alys Robi.
Youth
Born in 1923 in the Quebec CityQuebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
neighbourhood of Saint-Sauveur, Robitaille displayed talent for singing and acting at a very young age. She first performed on-stage at the Capitol Theater at 7. At the time, she had already sung on-air with the CHRC
CHRC (AM)
CHRC is a French language Canadian radio station located in Quebec City, Quebec. Known as Québec 800, the station has a news/talk/sports format....
radio station and was a real phenomenon in the whole city.
Career
At 13 she moved to the Théâtre National, on MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's Saint Catherine Street
Saint Catherine Street
This article is about the street in Montreal called the rue Sainte-Catherine in French. For other streets of this name, see Rue Sainte-Catherine ....
. Under the direction of Rose Ouellette
Rose Ouellette
Rose-Alma Ouellette also known by her stage name La Poune was a Quebec actress, comedian, theatre manager and artistic director. In the later part of her career, she appeared in film and on television, but she is most remembered for her work on stage...
, she learned acting and singing during a 75-week engagement. She continued her career in the Montreal cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
s, making radio appearances. For a time during the war, she also hosted a French radio show named Tambour battant ("Rumbling drum"). Touring Canadian military bases propelled her career across Canada.
During the 1940s, she started producing 78
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s and she became renowned far beyond Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. She captured popular imagination with Latin titles like Besame Mucho and Tico tico, after translating herself the Spanish or Brazilian songs into French. She sang in chic New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
cabarets by the mid forties and in 1947, she travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where she made an appearance on the first regular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television programme.
Mental health
In 1948, while traveling by car to Hollywood, she was injured in an accident, and entered a period of depression. After a series of unfortunate diagnoses, and a failed romance, she suffered a mental breakdownMental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and was interned for several years in a Quebec City asylum. She was at some point subjected to a lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
against her will. She credited the operation with her recovery:
"Je me réveillai guérie et j'ai compris plus tard que j'avais été un des rares cas réussis de lobotomie" (I woke up better and later understood that I was one of the rare lobotomy success stories). In 1952, she was released. The same year, she came back on stage at the Casa Loma and the Montmartre, but her efforts were impeded by taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
s about mental problems and she never regained the same level of popularity.
Later years
In the early 1990s, Alys returned into the public eye after the massive success she had with a song written for her by Alain Morisod ("Laissez-moi encore chanter"). Books, thesesThesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
, plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
and television series were written about her. A movie was released in December 2004: Alys Robi: Ma vie en cinémascope ("Alys Robi: My Life in Cinemascope"), titled Bittersweet Memories in English.
Robitaille has published two autobiographies
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
: Ma carrière, ma vie ("My Career, My Life", 1980) and Long Cri dans la nuit: Cinq Années à l'Asile ("Long Cry in the Night: Five Years in the Asylum", 1990).
Several of Robi's songs have been used for commercial ads. Sico, notably, played on the similarity between its brand name and the title of "Tico Tico" to produce a very catchy campaign based on a spoof of the song.
Robitaille died in the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont is a hospital in Montreal, located in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. It serves the eastern part of the city and offers 800 beds. It employs 5,000 people and 3,000 students annually...
, Montreal, at the age of 88, on May 28, 2011.
Discography
- Diva (2005) (recorded in 1946 at the CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
) - Laissez-moi encore chanter (1989)
Compilations :
- Alys Robi, Collection QIM (2005)
- Alys Robi, l'anthologie (2004)
- La Collection – volume 1 & 2 (1995)
- La Collection – volume 1 (1995)
- Les Succès d'Alys Robi (1962, 1995)