Michel Louvain

Quebec (Canada) singer ("Crooner" style) born July 12, 1937 in Thetford Mines. Died April 14, 2021 in Verdun's hospital in Montréal. Did use aliases "Michel Paulin" , "Mike Mitchell" and/or "Mike Poulin", but NOT the ones already in the database. In 1955, Michel Poulin took his first steps in the world of entertainment (at the age of 18) by joining a dance orchestra in Thetford Mines, where he quickly succeeded his brother, André Roc, who had left for a career in Montreal. Following his example, Michel also had his first pseudonym: Mike Mitchell. He also sometimes uses the name Mike Poulin. On October 18, 1956, he appeared at CHLT-TV's Café-Express, Channel 7, in Sherbrooke. This first stint on the small screen earned him an invitation to join the house orchestra of "Hôtel Union", also located in Sherbrooke, under the direction of Marcel Robitaille. It is as a musician-singer and under the name of Michel Paulin that he then delivers his dance songs while pinching the strings of the double bass, union clause obliges. In July 1957, he adopted the name "Louvain" after the restaurant "Au Louvain" located on St-Denis Street (near St-Catherine Street) which he noticed as he left the Montreal bus station. On the second floor of this restaurant was the cabaret "La Cigale", owned by Raymond Cardin and Mario Mérola and replica of the famous ASTI restaurant in Greenwich Village. In September 1957, during his first engagement as "master of ceremonies" at the "Hôtel Central" in Chomedey de Laval, his presence was noticed by the producer Yvan Dufresne, his future impresario, who made him record his first album "Buenas noches me amor". Agent: Johnny Reed.