Nanette Workman

Singer, songwriter, and actress Nanette Workman was born in the Bronx, New York on November 20, 1945. The daughter of Tommy Dorsey trumpeter Ernest Workman, she grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, where she studied piano when she was young. At the age of 11, she appeared on a local television series Mr. Magic until she was offered her own show, Teen Tempos. She attended the University of Southern Mississippi (in Hattiesburg) but left at the age of 18 to pursue a career on Broadway. After appearing in the stage production of How to Succeed in Business Without Trying, she recorded her first French single, “Et Maintenant,” which was issued in Canada in 1966. The song became a Number 1 hit and stayed in the charts for 15 weeks. The single led to a productive two years in Canada, where she recorded and appeared on several shows including a hosting stint on Fleurs d’amour. In 1966, she also released the single “Peint en noir,” which was a French-language version of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black.” The following year, she covered "Guantanamera," which had also been revived in the U.S. by The Sandpipers. which rose to Number 1 in the Canadian charts for 9 weeks. Moving to England in 1969, she appeared as a backing vocalist on several Rolling Stones recordings including “Honky Tonk Woman” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” In 1971, she relocated to France and began working with Johnny Hallyday, singing backing vocals on tour as well on the album Flagrant Délit. After returning to Quebec in 1974, Nannette Workman released more French-language hits including “Lady Marmalade” (a cover of the Labelle hit), “Danser Danser,” and “Donne Donne.” In the fall of 1978, she returned to France and starred as Sadia in the rock opera Starmania. She released another hit with 1982’s “Call Girl” and worked with her brother Billy Workman on several musical projects throughout the 1980s. She returned to the Canadian singles chart with the release of “Ballons Perces,” a duet with Serge Fiori, in 1989. Nanette Workman’s 1994 album Rock & Romance was a commercial and critical success, winning her a Félix award for Rock Album of the Year. Her 1996 album Une À Une was also a success and included the hits "Le Temps de m'y faire" and the title track. Between 2001 and 2012, she switched musical gears and focused on releasing four albums that embraced her love of blues music. Over the course of her career, she’s also released many compilations over the years including Danser Danser (1999), Call Girl (2000), Honky Tonk Woman (2003), and Anthologie 1975-2005.