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FYI

RIP: Celine Dion’s Former Agent, Paul Levesque

By Erik Leijon

RIP: Celine Dion’s Former Agent, Paul Levesque

By External Source

By Erik Leijon


Montreal: The Quebec music industry is in mourning following the passing of industry veteran Paul Lévesque. The impresario, producer and career builder was the longtime manager of Bruno Pelletier of Notre Dame de Paris fame, as well as a onetime manager to Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush, Luba and even agent to a young Celine Dion. He passed away Saturday, January 25 from bacterial meningitis, according to Pelletier. He was 68,

While Dion’s late husband René Angélil was synonymous with running her career, Lévesque was actually the Quebec superstar’s first agent from 1980 to 1982. Lévesque’s employees introduced Angélil to Dion by playing him her demo tape in 1981 when they were looking for a record producer. Lévesque sued Angélil in 1984 before settling out of court. In 2007, Dion and her family sued Lévesque for allowing her song “Ce n'était qu'un rêve” to be used in a commercial.

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Lévesque managed a pair of legendary Montreal acts: Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and Luba. He also managed Quebec legend Sylvain Cossette’s former band Paradox.

Lévesque founded the record label Les Disques Artiste in 1987.

The family will receive family and friends at 4231 St-Laurent, Montreal, Sunday, February 9, from 1:30-4 pm. Tributes after 4 p.m.

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Carole Pope and Kevan Staples of Rough Trade
Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Carole Pope and Kevan Staples of Rough Trade

FYI

Obituaries: Rough Trade Co-Founder Kevan Staples, Country Hall of Famer Dick Damron

This week we also acknowledge the passing of hit Memphis record producer/engineer Terry Manning and Canadian country singer Harry Rusk.

Kevan Staples, a Toronto songwriter, film and TV composer and multi-instrumentalist best known as co-founder of the adventurous Juno-winning rock band Rough Trade, died on March 23, of cancer, at the age of 75.

His creative partnership with charismatic and provocative vocalist and songwriter Carole Pope was at the heart of Rough Trade, a group that made a colourful mark on the Canadian rock scene in the late '70s and early '80s.

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