Patsy
Gallant
    As one of ten children, Patsy Gallant was born in 1950 in Campbellton, New Brunswick (Canada). At the age of three her mother had her join her sisters to sing at fairs, on radio and TV as part of The Gallant Sisters. The family would move to the big city of Montreal when Gallant was 10.
     While juggling school and performances with her siblings kept Patsy busy she had a vision. In pursuit of that dream Patsy went solo in 1967. She released an independent single that led to TV appearances on Canadian shows such as "Music Hop," "Discotheque" and "Smash."
     During the next few years she performed at the Place de Arts in Montreal with Charles Aznavour and hosted her own weekly variety show on CBC. Pretty heady stuff for a teenager from a small Canadian town. By 1969 she had met and established a friendship with songwriter Yves LaPierre. LaPierre introduced her to commercial jingle work. Her resume boasts such clients as Ford Motor Co., Air Canada, Coke-Cola and McDonald's. Through her jingle connections she met her future manager and co-producer Ian Robertson. From there she began working on theme songs for movies such as "Theme From L'Initiation" and "Theme From Ya Pas E Trou A Perce."
     Patsy is fluent in French and English and has recorded in both languages. Her English debut was the 1972 album "Upon My Own" which spawned the single "Get That Ball."
     She took a stab at acting in the 1973 Canadian comedy "J'ai Mon Voyage!" (American title "I've Had It"). Though her role was a minor one Patsy enjoyed the experience. But acting was not her career choice.  Later in 1973 Patsy went to Nashville, Tennessee to record the Columbia Records album "Power." It was thought that this move would help break Gallant to the lucrative U.S. market. The title track single barely charted and she remained fairly anonymous here in the U.S. At home in Canada however, she continued her reign as the beautiful hip pop star.
     In 1974 she released the singles: "Save The Last Dance For Me," "Make My Living" and "Doctor's Orders." All of which went Gold in Canada and furthered her status as a pop-icon.
     Her only release in 1975 was the minor hit "Making Love In My Mind." With personal appearances and concerts taking up most of the year she was in demand and had little time for recording. Simultaneously she was gearing up for yet another assault on the U.S. market. This time she would succede.
     Her next two album releases were a pivitol turning point in her career. She released the French album "Besoin D'Amour" which spawned three hit singles including the French version of "Sugar Daddy." And her American release "Are You Ready For Love." The original Attic Records release was actually an English re-working of the French album. Private Stock Records picked up the album for it's U.S. distribution. They released "Sugar Daddy" as a 12" single and it became her biggest American hit.
     Three Juno Awards (Canada's answer to the Grammy) would soon follow between 1976 ("Best Female Vocalist") and 1977 ("Best Female Vocalist" and "Single Of The Year" for "Sugar Daddy").
     She had one more American (English) disco hit with "From New York To L.A.." Most people however remember the Ice-T version from the 1980 Importe 12 double album "Prime Cuts." Still Patsy's version has it's own special magic. The song was adapted from an original French recording ("Mon Pays C'est L'Hiver") written by Gilles Vigneault.
     Riding the disco wave of fame Patsy parlayed her sudden disco success into her own disco-variety show on CTV called "The Patsy Gallant Show." As disco died down so too did her ratings and her show.
     Moving into the 1980's Patsy continued recording. Albums like "Stranger In The Mirror" and "Amoureuse" continued to be successful yet never cracked the coveted U.S. market.
     The vivacious Gallant took a low-key approach to her career throughout much of the 1980's. In 1988 she turned to the stage and found a whole new career. She won rave reviews for her starring turns in such musicals as "Nunsense," "Cats" and her crowning achievment in "Piaf."
     Patsy currently stars in the Paris, France production of "Starmania." A role she has been recreating weekly for five years to rave reviews. She is married to Dwayne Ford - guitarist for such acts as The Nomads, Ronnie Hawkins, Atkinson Danko & Ford, and Bearfoot. Though her disco contributions may have been small we're  pleased to present Ms. Gallant in The DiscoMuseum and wish her continued success!
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