Born Jacques Rodrigue on June 27, 1941 in Saint-Agnès de Bellecombe (Canada), Jacques Michel is a Quebec pop singer. After working as singer and guitarist with the Rock'n'Roll Kids, the Midnighters and the Colibris, he landed his first solo contract in 1963. That same year, he released his first single, Monsieur mon pays. In 1965, he won the first prize of his career, that of revelation of the year at the Festival du disque. In the 1970s, he won the Grand Prix at the Spa Festival in Belgium with the song "Amène-toi chez nous", and finished 2nd with the song "Un Nouveau jour va se lever", at the Tokyo International Folk Song Festival. Both songs appeared on his album Citoyen d'Amérique, released in 1970. The following year, he released the album S.O.S. , in response to the political situation and social tensions in Quebec, following the application of the War Measures Act. From 1972 to 1974, he released four albums, including several hits such as "Chacun son refrain" and "Pas besoin de frapper". In 1975, following the death of his young wife Claire, Jacques Michel released the album Migration . In the mid-1980s, after 17 albums, he put his musical career on hold to concentrate on television. From 1985 to 1995, he co-wrote scripts and song lyrics for the TV shows Le Village de Nathalie and Sur la rue Tabaga . He returned to music in the 2010s with albums entitled Un Nouveau jour in 2015 and Tenir in 2019. After a three-year battle with cancer, Jacques Michel requested medical assistance in dying, which led to his death on March 5, 2026 at the age of 84.
