Born: 1972, Sherbrooke, Quebec
Debut: 1998
Genre: Pop
Achievements
• 3 Juno Nominations
• Won the Felix for Male Artist of the Year Twice
• 5 songs nominated for the Felix Song of the Year award
• Diamond Album in France (Seul, 2000)
• 3x Platinum Francophone Album in Canada (Seul, 2000)
• One of only four Canadian singers in the Top 100 best-selling of all-time in France
• Co-Sung the 3rd biggest single of all-time in France (“Belle”, 1998)
• Has a song in the Top 100 best-selling singles of all-time in France (“Seul”, 2000)
• Holds the SNEP record for the most weeks at #1
Studio Albums and Singles
1998: “Belle“
• From the musical “Notre-Dame de Paris”
• Co-sung with fellow Canadian Daniel Lavoie and France’s Patrick Fiori
• 3rd best-selling single of all-time in France (2.2 million copies)
• #1 in both France and Belgium
• Nominated for the Felix song of the year award
1998: “Dieu que le monde est injuste”
• Nominated for the Felix song of the year award
2000: Seul
• Juno-nominated album
• 3x Platinum
• Diamond in France
• Singles: “Seul” (#1 France and Belgium; Felix song of the year nominee), “Je n’attendais que vous” (#20 BEL), “Sous le vent” (-w/ Celine Dion- #14; #1 FR & BEL; Felix song of the year nominee)
2003: Reviens
• Juno-nominated album
• 2x Platinum in France
• Singles: “Reviens” (#9 FR), “Et si on dormait” (#2 BEL), “La Rivière de notre enfance” (-w/ Michel Sardou- #1 FR & BEL), “L’Aveu” (Felix song of the year nominee)
2006: Garou
• Platinum in France
• Singles: “L’Injustice” (#11 FR), “Je suis le même” (#1 QC)
2008: Piece of My Soul
• Gold
• Singles: “Stand Up” (#6 BEL), “First Day of My Life”, (#13 BEL)
2009: Gentleman cambrioleur
2010: Version integrale
• Singles: “J’avais besoin d’être là” (#8 BEL)
2012: Rhythm and Blues
• Bilingual album released in France
• Singles: “Le jour se leve”
Garou was born as Pierre Garand in Sherbrooke. His stage name is a play on his surname and the French term loup-garou which means werewolf.
Garou began learning the guitar at age 3 from his father and later learned the piano and organ. As a child he wanted to become an archaeologist. He attended a private school for boys and took trumpet in music class. With his classmates, he formed the school band The Windows and Doors which played mainly covers of Beatles’ songs. Garou got into the spirit of performing, printing tickets, and making posters.
After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces’ regimental band as a trumpeter. After he left the army, a friend invited him to a bar to hear Louis Alary perform. In-between songs, he was offered the microphone for a chance to dazzle the audience. It was so good that Garou was offered a regular gig. His reputation spread and soon he was performing with local celebrities.
In 1995, he started an R&B band called The Untouchables. He was offered recording contracts but felt he wasn’t yet ready. In the summer of 1997, Luc Plamondon went to see a performance of The Untouchables. After the performance he invited Garou to audition for a part in his upcoming international musical Notre-Dame de Paris. He sang some verses of “Belle” and “Dieu que le monde est injuste”. The next morning Plamondon’s people phoned him to say, “You are Quasimodo!”
Garou was stunned to say the least. Months later, he found himself performing before thousands in Paris, Montreal, Brussels, and London. In 1999, he won the Felix for Discovery of the Year award. The recorded song “Belle” from the musical, sung by himself, fellow-Canadian pop star Daniel Lavoie, and France’s Patrick Fiori, became the 3rd best-selling single of all-time in France, staying on top of the charts for 18 weeks.
This led to a record deal and in 2000 Garou’s debut solo album appeared, Seul. With its title-track topping the charts for an astonishing 11 weeks, as well as the #1 “Sous le Vent” (sung with Celine Dion), the album was certified diamond in France and attained sales of 3x platinum in Canada, something very difficult for a French-language album to do.
After a live album, Garou came out with Reviens in 2003. “La Rivière de notre enfance” sung with the legendary Michel Sardou became his fourth chart-topper. A self-titled album appeared in 2006 which spawned the hit “Je suis le meme”, a #1 hit in Quebec. An English crossover album came out two years later entitled Piece of My Soul and featured the Rob Thomas song “Stand Up” as well as Spice Girl Melanie C’s hit “First Day of My Life”. Two more French albums appeared in 2009 and 2010.
In the list of Top 100 best-selling singers of all-time in France, there are only four Canadians. After Celine Dion, the 2nd biggest Canadian singer is Garou who has outsold Lara Fabian and Roch Voisine there.
Copyright 2011 by the Canadian Music Blog
