Félix Leclerc was a Quebec chansonnier(singer) and poet. He has also written novels, plays, tales and maxims. He can be seen on TV, film and theater, and heard on the radio. He is considered a pioneer of French-language song, a Quebec nationalist and an ardent defender of the French language.
It was in the old countries that he helped Europeans fall in love with Quebec songs, with all their different voices and accents. Many of his songs, such as Moi, mes souliers, Le petit bonheur, Le petit train du Nord, Bozo, Attends-moi Ti-gars, Le tour de l'Île, L'hymne au printemps, L'alouette en colère, etc., were part of the artistic landscape of the time.
Over the course of his career, he received numerous awards, and schools, streets, parks, a highway, the ADISQ Gala Award, etc. bear his name in his honor.
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1914: Félix Leclerc is born on August 2 in La Tuque.
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1934 to 1937: He is a radio host in Quebec City.
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1939: He performs his first song Notre sentier on the program Le restaurant d'en face.
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1943 to 1946: Publications include Adagio (collection of stories), Andante (collection of poems) and Pieds nus dans l'aube (novel).
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1948: Félix Leclerc, Yves Vien and Guy Mauffette found the V-L-M theatre company.
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1950: Impresario Jacques Canetti falls under Félix Leclerc's spell and arranges for him to record his first songs. Twenty days later, Félix Leclerc receives the Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros. Invited by the impresario, he moved to France, where he enjoyed great success until 1953.
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1950: Félix Leclerc performs at the Théâtre ABC in Paris.
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1951: He records his first album, Félix Leclerc chante ses derniers succès.
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1957 to 1975: Félix Leclerc's fame spread through several albums: Félix Leclerc chante (1957), Le Roi heureux (1962), Félix Leclerc (1964), La vie (1967), L'alouette en colère (1972), Le tour de l'île (1975).
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1958: Publishes the novel Le fou de l'Île.
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1973: Publishes the novel Carcajou ou le diable des bois.
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1975: Awarded the Prix Calixa-Lavallée by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society.
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1976: Awarded the Diplôme d'honneur by the CCA (Canadian Conference of the Arts).
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1977: In recognition of his career as a performing artist, the Quebec government awards him the Prix Denise-Pelletier.
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1983: The Félix Leclerc Foundation, whose objective is to promote the work of the author and Quebec culture as a whole to all generations, is born.
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1987: He receives the medal of the Académie des lettres du Québec.
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1988: Félix Leclerc dies in his sleep on August 8 in Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans.
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2000: He is named Grand Québécois du siècle by the Académie des Grands Québécois.
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2003: Félix Leclerc is inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.