Nanette Joan Workman (born 20 November 1945,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

) is a singer-songwriter, actress and author, who has been based in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, during much of her career. She holds

dual citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...

of both the United States and Canada. She was raised by musician parents in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, where she began her first performances. Although raised as an English speaker, she mainly performs in French. She has recorded with well-known musicians in the U.S., Canada, UK and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and has been recognized in Mississippi by being elected to that state's Musicians Hall of Fame and having a

Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the ...

house named after her at the state university."Nanette Workman"
''The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada''. Workman's Biography, Discography, and Bibliography

Biography

Childhood

Workman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 20 November 1945, to musician parents. Her mother, Beatryce Kreisman, was in the chorus of '' Naughty Marietta'' with the New York City Opera Company, and her father, Ernest Workman, played trumpet in

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

's orchestra. She grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. As a child she studied piano and began her career at 11, appearing in the local

WLBT WLBT (channel 3) is a television station in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television, which also operates American Spirit Media–owned Fox affiliate WDBD (channel 40) and Vicksburg-licensed My ...

television series ''Mr. Magic'' (later ''Junior Time'') until she was given her own weekly show, ''Teen Tempos''. She graduated from Provine High School and attended the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The city popu ...

, leaving college at 18 for Broadway.

Career

After understudying the lead of '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', she played the role of Rosemary in 1964 and later played the lead in summer stock. In 1966, Workman met Tony Roman and recorded her first French single, "

Et Maintenant "What Now, My Love?" is the English title of a popular song whose original French version, "Et maintenant" (English: "And Now") was written in 1961 by composer Gilbert Bécaud and lyricist Pierre Delanoë. The recurring musical pattern in the ba ...

", for him in Canada, where the song remained on the charts for fifteen weeks after becoming number one. Over the next two years she became a Canadian recording and TV star, finally hosting '. In 1969, Workman moved to England where she appeared weekly on

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

and

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

's comedy series '' Not Only... But Also''. Mistakenly credited as Nanette Newman, Workman sang backing vocals on " You Can't Always Get What You Want" and " Country Honk" (the acoustic precursor to Honky Tonk Women), tracks from

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' 1969 album ''

Let It Bleed ''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released 28 November 1969 on London Records in the United States and shortly thereafter by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. ...

'' (she's credited as Nanette Newman, and some have confused her with the British actress married to director Bryan Forbes). She also worked with

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

. In addition, she appeared in one of the

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

episodes of ''

The Benny Hill Show ''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV (from 1969) between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches that were full of slapstick, mime, paro ...

'' (appearing as Nanette), performing "Everybody's Singing Like Now" on the 24 February 1971 edition. Workman toured France in 1973 as an opening act for

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

. She made three albums with

Yves Martin Yves Martin (22 November 1929 – 23 February 2021) was a Canadian sociologist. He was the laity rector at the Université de Sherbrooke and was one of the founders of the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travai ...

touring Africa,

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

and Europe before returning to Quebec in 1974 where she recorded several more French albums. ''Lady Marmalade'', ''Danser Danser'', ''Donne Donne'' and especially ''Call Girl'' (by

Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon, OC, CQ (b. March 2, 1942 in Saint-Raymond, Quebec), is a French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. He is best known for his work on the musicals ''Starmania'' and ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brother of Louis Plamon ...

) placed first on the hit parades. Returning to France in 1978, she starred in the Rock Opera '' Starmania'' as Sadia. In 1979, she sang backing vocals in the Mahogany Rush song "Sister Change" (''Tales of an Unexpected'' album). In 1980, she made an album ''Chaude'' in collaboration with her brother Billy Workman and

and toured Quebec with the show ''Du gramophone au laser'' which recounted the history of the Québécois ''

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic ...

''. In 1990, she returned to Paris to become La Diva in Plamondon-Berger's second rock opera, ''La Légende de Jimmy'', based on the life of

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

. In April 2000, Workman was inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. ''Roots N Blues'', another album in English, was released in May 2001. In 2001, she also appeared in a

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

television series, ''Rivière-des-Jérémie'', and was the hostess for thirteen episodes of ''Generation 70''. In 2007, she was recognized by the State of Mississippi when Governor

Haley Barbour Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist who served as the 63rd governor of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as chairman of the Republican N ...

honored her at the opening of The Nanette Workman French (Francophone) House on the

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

campus. The house accommodates American and French-speaking students from around the world as an upper-classman residence.

Personal life

She has one son, Jesse (born ).

Awards and recognition

* 2000: Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame

Entertainment industry works

The following is a list of her major entertainment industry works:Mississippi Musicians: Nanette Workman
Biography of Nanette Workman, Mississippi musician who was raised in Jackson but is now a Canadian singing star

Discography

* 1967 ''Nanette'' * 1967 ''Je me rétracte'' * 1967 ''Fleurs d'amour, fleurs d'amitié'' (with

Tony Roman Anthony Roman Agr.Sc. (January 17, 1936 in Veľký Ruskov, Czechoslovakia – October 30, 1992 in Markham, Ontario) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. Early years Roman was born in Czechoslovakia and eventually settled in Canada. He studie ...

) * 1968 ''Nanette'' (compilation) * 1970 ''Nanette'' (first solo English-language album) * 1976 ''Lady Marmalade'' * 1976 ''Nanette Workman'' (French album) * 1976 ''Nanette Workman'' (LP with English versions of earlier songs) * 1977 ''Grits and Cornbread'' * 1977 ''Nanette Workman'' (French album) * 1978 '' Starmania'' (with other artists, soundtrack to musical) * 1979 ''Disque d'or'' * 1979 ''Les Titres d'or de Nanette Workman'' * 1980 ''Chaude'' (concept album made with

) * 1983 ''Nanette Workman'' * 1989 ''Changement d'adresse'' * 1991: ''Collection souvenir'' (CD) * 1992 ''La légende de Jimmy'' (with other artists: musical soundtrack) * 1993 ''Les Plus Belles Chansons De Starmania'' (1978 concept cast highlights) * 1994 ''Rock & Romance'' 1994 (new versions of her hits from the 1970s and 1980s) * 1996 ''Une à une'' * 1998 ''Best of Nanette Workman'' * 1998 ''Québec'' * 1999 ''Love Taker'' with Peter Frampton * 2001 ''Roots 'n' Blues'' * 2003 ''Vanilla Blues Cafe'' * 2003 ''Honky Tonk Woman'' (compilation) * 2005 ''Mississippi Rolling Stone'' * 2007 ''Danser Danser'' (compilation) * 2012 ''Just Gettin' Started'' No. 42 CAN

Soundtrack appearances

* 1984 '' American Dreamer'' (performer: "Dreamer") * 2004 '' The Five of Us (Elles étaient cinq)'' ("Lady Marmalade")

Film

* 1975 ''Mustang'' as Barbara * 1982 '' Scandale'' as Nanette Workman * 1984 ''Evil Judgement'' as April * 1985 ''

Night Magic ''Night Magic'' is a 1985 Canadian-French musical film written by Leonard Cohen and Lewis Furey and directed by Furey. The film stars Nick Mancuso as Michael, a down on his luck musician whose fantasies begin to come true after he meets an angel ...

'' as Pinky (voice) * 1997 ''

J'en suis! ''Heads or Tails'' (french: J'en suis!) is a 1997 Quebec comedy film directed by Claude Fournier and starring Roy Dupuis and Patrick Huard Synopsis In order to make money fast to put his company back on track, Dominique ( Roy Dupuis) encouraged ...

'' as Sandy Klein * 1999 ''Ladies Room'' as Ricki * 2006 ''

Bon Cop, Bad Cop ''Bon Cop, Bad Cop'' is a 2006 Canadian dark comedy-thriller buddy cop film about two police officers – one Ontarian and one Québécois – who reluctantly join forces to solve a murder. The dialogue is a mixture of English and French. The t ...

'' as a Ballet Teacher * 2009 ''

Suzie Suzie or Susie is a feminine given name, and is a short form (hypocorism) of Suzanne, Susannah or Susan. Notable people with this given name include: People * Suzannah Suzie Bates (born 1987), New Zealand cricketer * Suzie Brasher (born 1960 or ...

'' as Dealer * 2011 '' La Run''

Television series

* 1968 '' Fleurs d'amour, fleurs d'amitié'', as Host * 1970 '' Not Only... But Also'' as Herself * 1979 ''Collaroshow'' (TV) episode dated 6 October 1979 as Herself * 2001 ''Rivière-des-Jérémie'' as Sarah Blacksmith * 2003 ''L'auberge du chien noir'' (TV) one TV episode "Qui perd gagne", as Herself

Television films

* 1969 '' Je T'aimerai Toujours'' * 1986 ''

C.A.T. Squad ''C.A.T. Squad'' (also titled ''Stalking Danger'') is a 1986 television film starring Joseph Cortese, Jack Youngblood, Steve James, Bradley Whitford, and Barry Corbin. It is directed by William Friedkin and written by Gerald Petievich, who had ...

'' aka Stalking Danger * 1997 ''Platinum'' as Herself At The Cocktail * 2003 ''Nightwaves'' as Sally Winters

Writings

* 1999 Workman, Nanette: ''Nanette''. Montreal (biographical with photographs)

References

External links

Nanette Workman official website
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MySpace: Nanette WorkmanDisques Mérite profile
(in French) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Workman, Nanette Living people 1945 births Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi Singers from Quebec American women singers Canadian women singers French-language singers of Canada French-language singers of the United States People with acquired Canadian citizenship American people of Jewish descent Canadian people of Jewish descent University of Southern Mississippi alumni Actors from Jackson, Mississippi 21st-century American women Big Tree Records artists