Born Gérard Martin Joanette in Quebec City (Canada), Evan Joanness is a Quebec pop singer. He studied music at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec, as well as at the Université Laval music school. He left his hometown at the age of 17 to study at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. He then landed a job in a cabaret, performing songs popularized by Luis Mariano. In 1982, he met impresario Julie Denis, who landed him contracts in Quebec and a tour of Europe. In 1984, he recorded his first album, Noël À l'église avec les disciples de Massenet, which went gold after four days. A second album, Luis Mariano 15 Ans Déjà, followed in 1985. The same year, he also released a third album, Sur Demande, which reached the Quebec charts with the song "Je t'aime ". He was a cast member of the TV series Épopée Rock from 1984 to 1990. In September 2008, he suffered a severe stroke that left him with aphasia and unable to speak freely.
