Moved by the wave of love that has spread since the announcement of the death of her brother Guy Latraverse, nicknamed the “father of Quebec show business”, Louise Latraverse collects these tributes with humility: “This love is beautiful… That Family.” takes him with them, through him. Guy was a real joy at all the festivals and shows…”
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One of the founders of the Quebec Association of the Recording, Entertainment and Video Industry (ADISQ) and the Franco Folies de Montréal, courageous producer behind the careers of Robert Charlebois, Claude Léveillée, Diane Dufresne, Louise Forestier and many others, Guy Latraverse died on Saturday evening after a long illness at the age of 84. As soon as his death was announced, reactions from cultural and political circles flooded newspapers and social networks.
In 1981, producer Guy Latraverse was at the helm of the big machine Kebec Spec.
A few days after her brother’s death, Louise Latraverse rekindles memories of her childhood. When she looks back, the 83-year-old artist can already see the beginnings of the great man she later became.
“He was the little king, the little boss. [Rires…] A born organizer, a leader. He was the one who decided and I had to get out of his way! I tried to take my place, but it wasn’t easy with him. Even when we were working together, he told me, ‘There’s no room for two latraverses at Radio-Canada.’ And I worked my way through it.”
Ironically, it was Louise Latraverse – “I was the artist in the family!” – who introduced his brother into the cultural world. One evening, as her then-lover, Claude Léveillée, struggled to get paid by a venue manager, Louise Latraverse called her big brother for help. “The guy came straight away and said, ‘You pay for it, otherwise Mr. Léveillée will leave!’ “Claude liked him so much that he asked him to take care of his business,” she says with a laugh.
It was the early 60s.
“One thing led to another, he did that job. I introduced him to everyone,” she says.
What followed was a very productive career in which Guy Latraverse became, among other things, artist manager, producer of shows such as I Saw the Wolf, the Fox, the Lion with Félix Leclerc, Gilles Vigneault and Robert Charlebois, and co-founder of ADISQ.
In 1981, producer Guy Latraverse was surrounded by Yvon Deschamps and Jean-Guy Moreau. The Montreal Journal
A generous man
Louise and Guy Latraverse, sister and brother, accompanied each other on their travels in the artistic world. Did they advise each other? “As a small boss, he knew everything. [Rires…] I don’t think I played the role of my brother’s advisor. Most of all, he needed me to give him my contacts. We exchanged ideas, but we can’t say we spent that much time together, even though we often had dinner with artists… If he had a question, he would call me. It was always spicy. That’s all. It wasn’t a chatterbox.”
Guy Latraverse and Jean-Pierre Ferland JMTL
Over the years they have found each other, especially within their family circles. “My grandfather, the patriarch, had huge parties with more than 60 children. There were always a lot of people at home. We inherited this feeling of celebration from our childhood. My brother threw wonderful parties at his house in Saint-Hilaire. Guy organized a wonderful party for my 80th birthday with all my friends. He was very generous.”
This great generosity often goes back to the mention of Guy Latraverse. “My brother was in love with Quebec and its artists. He said to himself, “Why don’t we make our artists known?” “History comes from the actions we take. Guy did many great things for Quebec. It will remain in his history.