Ginette Ravel

Ginette Marie Thérèse Ravel (; October 6, 1940 – February 17, 2022) was a Canadian singer and lyricist. She began her career as a singer in 1959 as a member of the La Cave cabaret. Ravel released several albums and singles throughout the course of her musical career before focusing on journalism. She was Canada's representative at the Sopot International Song Festival, Poland in 1968 and was awarded second prize.

Biography Ravel was born on October 6, 1940, in Joliette, Quebec, and had a sister. She spent the early part of her life in Joilette before moving to Montreal with her family at the age of 10. Ravel studied elocution with Jean-Louis Audet in Montreal from the age of nine, Her singing career commenced at the cabaret La Cave at a music venue in Montreal in 1959, lasting a week, Ravel performed alongside Marc Gélinas, and signed a contract with RCA Victor. and there were multiple songs she composed with lyrics authored by Josette Marchessault. radio and television, in Creole, English, French and Japanese. She sung at such venues as the Séminaire Saint-Joseph de Trois-Rivières in 1965, and the theatre group for a week in February 1966, returning to the venue on multiple occasions. Plessisville, Ravel performed in Paris from 1963 to 1964, based on a tune by Jean-Pierre Ferland. and performed at the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67 and in Port-au-Prince, Haiti that Winter. Ravel conducted a six-day provincial tour of the cities of Quebec in early 1968, with Jacques Michel, and the Cabestans. That August, she was selected to be Canada's representative at the Sopot International Song Festival, Poland. Ravel performed the Ferland song, "Je reviens chez nous" (I'm coming home) and won the second prize. Two more albums, the compilation Succès souvenirs and Ginette Ravel au Théâtre Maisonneuve were released in 1968, and two more followed in 1969, J’irai par le monde and the compilation Succès souvenirs volume 2.

Ravel resided in France between October 1971 and 1973, signing in cabarets, at the Canadian Cultural Centre and the Théâtre Récamier, Paris, and at the 1972 Festival de la chanson, Reims. She was sent by French television to the Rencontres Trans Musicales, Rennes, Brittany in 1971, Ravel then lived in retirement in Canada from 1973 to 1975, recovering from a lung disease and alcoholism and later recording two of her own songs (music by Marc Fortier), 'Je suis fragile' and 'Du sable dans ma voix.' and returned to live performance with a recital at the Boîte à chansons in Hôtel Meridien, Montreal in August 1976, signing at the venue twice more. This came after she was convinced to return to singing by her friend Pierre Péladeau. Ravel performed on the television program Vedettes en direct in January 1978. She hosted a Sunday morning call-in show on CKVL-FM, and the others were Vivre 24 heures à la fois, J’ai vaincu la dépres­sion and échappé au sui­cide. giving a recital of her songs, 'Encore une histoire d'amour'. In 1980, Ravel released the album La vérité, which contained American songs. Ravel took up painting and exhibited 25 of her works at the Tournesol Gallery, Grand-Mère in mid-1981. A special program dedicated to her was broadcast on Radio-Canada on December 24, 1981, before focusing on a career in journalism. adding she did not select her songs based on how they would appeal to her audience. She rehearsed for two hours a day with the pianist Paul de Margerie.