Born Yvon Ethier on September 10, 1946, in Montreal, country singer-songwriter Patrick Norman made his official recording debut with Les Fabuleux Élégants in 1966. After quitting the band to focus on his solo career, he began performing under the alias Patrick Norman and established himself as a bona fide hitmaker in the Canadian country music scene through a series o f popular singles in both English and French, including "Mon Coeur est à toi" (1972), "D'où que tu viennes" (1973), and "Let's Try Once Again" (1977). However, he is perhaps best known for his 1984 LP Quand on est amour, a critically acclaimed collection of songs that helped him win his first two Félix awards for Best Male Singer and Best-Selling Album of the Year in 1987. An English version titled Only Love Sets You Free was released later that year and also enjoyed great popularity, with many of its songs reaching the Canadian charts. In 1989, Patrick Norman returned with Soyons heureux, which won the Best Country Album category at the ADISQ Gala. Recorded in Bogalusa, Louisiana, with a group of seasoned studio musicians, Passion Vaudou saw the light in 1990 and was followed by other well-received releases such as the gold-selling Noël sans faim (1992), Whispering Shadows (1994), Chez-moi (1995), Guitare (1997), and Country (1998), a collaborative album with singer Renée Martel. In 1998, Patrick Norman revived the Les Fabuleux Élégants moniker, recruiting Jeff Smallwood, Bourbon Gautier, and William Dunker for a self-titled studio effort that took home a Félix Award for Best Country Album. He would remain a household name in the Canadian country scene over the following decades, garnering praise from both fans and critics for albums like Patrick Norman (2000), Soirée intime (2003), Tu peux frapper à ma porte (2007), Where I Come From (2010), and the Renée Martel collaboration Nous (2016), winner of the Félix Award for Best Country Album in 2016. Patrick Norman would repeat the feat once again in 2020 with his 33rd album Si on y allait, recorded in Nashville and produced by Julian King.
