Biography
Ginette Reno OC CQ (born Ginette Raynault; 28 April 1946) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. She has received nominations for the Genie and Gemini Awards and is a multi-recipient of the Juno Award. She is a gold and platinum selling Canadian musician.
Music
Reno is a gold and platinum selling Canadian artist. She has recorded in both English and French. Her biggest hit in English was her 1970 song “Beautiful Second Hand Man”. It reached No. 8 on the RPM singles chart. The song was from her third album Beautiful Second Hand Man released in 1971 on Parrot Records. The song was re-released on the French record label Melon-Miel on a two disc compilation Vocally Yours Vol. 7 & 8 in 2004. Among her recordings is a Lynsey de Paul song “Dans la vie tout s'arrange” (Storm in a Teacup) with French lyrics provided by Marcel Stellman. She… mostly performs in Quebec. During her four-decade career, she has recorded approximately 60 albums. Between 1969 and 1974 she had 9 songs in the RPM Top 100.
In March 2019, she was one of 11 singers from Quebec, alongside Céline Dion, Diane Dufresne, Isabelle Boulay, Luce Dufault, Louise Forestier, Laurence Jalbert, Catherine Major, Ariane Moffatt, Marie Denise Pelletier and Marie-Élaine Thibert, who participated in a supergroup recording of Renée Claude's 1971 single “Tu trouveras la paix” after Claude's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease was announced.
Film
Reno played the mother in Jean-Claude Lauzon's 1992 film Léolo. She played Laura Cadieux in Denise Filiatrault's 1998 film It's Your Turn, Laura Cadieux (C't'à ton tour, Laura Cadieux). The role earned her a Genie Award nomination for Best Actress. She reprised her role for the 1999 sequel Laura Cadieux II (Laura Cadieux...la suite). She was again nominated at the 2000 Genie Awards. She played the role of Maria Barberini in the 2003 Canadian independent film Mambo Italiano. She played Blanche in the 2006 film A Family Secret (Le secret de ma mère), earning her a Best Actress in a leading role Genie Award nomination.
In 2022, Ginette Reno came back to the big screen after 16 years in Martin Villeneuve's The 12 Tasks of Imelda (Les 12 travaux d'Imelda), co-starring playwright Robert Lepage, in which she plays Martin and Denis Villeneuve's maternal grandmother Simone, Imelda's lifelong adversary.
Television
Reno was twice nominated for a Gemini at the 1999 Gemini Awards and 2000 Gemini Awards.
The Charlebois wedding: the Hell's Angels controversy
On 5 August 2000, Reno performed at the wedding of the Hell's Angel René Charlebois, serenading the Angels with such hits as “Mon May”, for which she was paid $1 million, and at the same wedding posed for photographs with Maurice “Mom” Boucher, the leader of the Angels in Quebec at the time. As Reno has a very matronly and respectable image in Quebec, her willingness to pose smiling next to Boucher, a man convicted of rape amongst other things, caused some controversy.
Montreal Canadiens
During the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, Reno was a surprise selection to perform O Canada during the Montreal Canadiens' playoff run. She had just returned from heart surgery, and her rendition of the anthem was very well received. She has since returned to sing for the 2015 and 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. She previously sang the anthems for the Quebec Nordiques as well in the 1980s and 1990s and as well as the 64th Grey Cup in 1976.
1Discography
| Artist | Title | Year | Format | Classification | Gem, favourite, must-listen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ginette Reno | J'Ai Besoin De Parler | ℗1984 | Vinyl LP | French-speaking |
10Songs
| Song | Year | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Ça Commence | 1984 |
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| J'ai Besoin De Parler | 1984 |
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| Je T'Attendais | 1984 |
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| La Quête | 1984 |
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| Quand On Se Donne | 1984 |
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| Sur La Table De Mon Phono | 1984 |
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| Tu Ne Viendras Pas | 1984 |
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| Un Homme Ça Tient Chaud | 1984 |
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| Une Caresse | 1984 |
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| Une Femme Sentimentale | 1984 |
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