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Martin Stevens (musician)

Martin Stevens
Born
Roger Prud'homme

(1953-10-03)October 3, 1953
Verdun, Quebec, Canada
DiedJuly 5, 2023(2023-07-05) (aged 69)
OccupationPop singer

Roger Prud'homme[1] (October 3, 1953 – July 5, 2023), better known by the stage name of Martin Stevens, was a Canadian pop singer prominent in the disco era.[2] He was most noted as a two-time Juno Award nominee for Best Selling Single, receiving nominations at the Juno Awards of 1979 for "Love Is in the Air"[3] and at the Juno Awards of 1980 for "Midnight Music".[4]

Life and career

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A francophone from Verdun, Quebec, he recorded a number of French-language singles in the 1970s, including "J’aime la musique (Comme un fou)" and "Sans ton amour".[5] His self-titled debut album, released in 1978, consisted entirely of French material except for his cover of Vanda & Young's "Love Is in the Air". His version of the song debuted on the Canadian charts in July 1978,[6] and had already reached #21 by September 9,[7] the week the more internationally familiar version by John Paul Young debuted.[8] The two versions appear to have cut into each other's chart performance; Stevens' version immediately stalled, peaking only at #19 a few weeks later before beginning to decline,[9] while Young's peaked at #26 two weeks later.[10]

Stevens' second album, Midnight Music, was released in 1979 and consisted entirely of English-language songs.[11] The title track was a hit in Quebec, but did not perform strongly on the English Canadian charts, reaching number 50.[12] Stevens was a Prix Félix finalist for Male Artist of the Year in 1979, but did not win.

Stevens published an autobiography, Sexe, drogue et disco, in 2007.[13]

Martin Stevens died on July 5, 2023, at the age of 69.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Sonne ma cloche! Encore, encore, encore!". Le Devoir, May 2, 2003.
  2. ^ "Winds of change blow through Quebec". Billboard, January 27, 1979. p. C23.
  3. ^ "Juno list has that familiar look". The Globe and Mail, March 21, 1979.
  4. ^ "Complete list of nominees for tonight's Juno Awards". The Globe and Mail, April 2, 1980.
  5. ^ "Quatre décennies de disco". Le Journal de Montréal, April 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "RPM100". RPM, July 22, 1978.
  7. ^ "RPM100 (1-50)". RPM, September 9, 1978.
  8. ^ "RPM100 (50-100)". RPM, September 9, 1978.
  9. ^ "RPM Magazine - September 30, 1978 - page 13" (PDF).
  10. ^ "RPM100". RPM, October 21, 1978.
  11. ^ "Quebec talent back on disk, tour scene". Billboard, December 22, 1979. p. 72.
  12. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 1, 1979" (PDF).
  13. ^ "La comédie humaine". Métro, April 7, 2008.
  14. ^ "Le chanteur disco québécois Martin Stevens est décédé". Tvanouvelles.ca. 5 July 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
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