Mimi Blais
Mimi Blais is a French Canadian pianist, composer, comedian and educator with a special interest in ragtime music and witty showmanship. She has been called the "Female Victor Borge," the "Celine Dion of the Keyboard," and the "French Canadian Liberace," but she is most proud to be thought of as the "Queen of Ragtime."
Early life and career
Blais started playing the piano at age 7 and gave her first concert at the age of 9. She studied at the Québec Conservatory of Music and at McGill University, but she quickly broadened her interests to include folk, jazz, modern, blues, tango, and ragtime. She has played ragtime concerts across Canada, the United States, and worldwide.
Recording career
She has recorded eleven albums of piano music by varied composers, including Scott Joplin, Tom Turpin, Eubie Blake, Zez Confrey, Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière, André Gagnon, Cecil Macklin, Joseph Lamb, George Gershwin, Dave Brubeck, Claude Debussy, and herself. These albums include: Ragtime (1992), Geraldine (1993), Taxi (1998), Old Rags - New Rags (2000), Made in Quebec (2002, with participation of violinist Sophie Rivard), Sunday Morning (2004), Mimi Blais Plays André Gagnon (ADISQ-2004), Once Upon a Rag Time (ADISQ-2005, with participation of pianist John Petley), Life Is A Dream (2006), which features classical music and some of Mimi's newest compositions (non-ragtime), Silence (2008) and Interlude (2015).
Podcasts:
Mimi Blais
ALBUMS
- Ragtime released: 1992
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by Celine Dion
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by Roger Whittaker
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by Julio Iglesias
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by Elisa
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by James Last
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by Vicky Leandros
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by Loona
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by Elissa
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by Jose Merce
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by Paul Mauriat
Mamy Blue
by: Celine DionOh Mammy Oh Mammy Mammy Blue
Oh Mammy Blue
Je suis partie un soir d'été
Sans dire un mot sans t'embrasser
Sans un regard sur le passé, passé
Dès que j'ai franchi la frontière
Le vent soufflait plus fort qu'hier
Quand j'étais près de toi ma mère, oh ma mère
(I left on a summer night
Without saying a word without kissing you
Without a look at the past, past
As soon as I crossed the border
The wind was blowing harder than yesterday
When I was near you mother, oh my mother)
Oh Mammy Oh Mammy Mammy Blue
Oh Mammy Blue
La maison a fermé ses yeux
Le chat et les chiens sont très vieux
Et ils viennent me dire adieu, adieu
Je ne reviendrai plus jamais
Dans ce village que j'aimais où tu reposes
À tout jamais, désormais...
(The house has closed its eyes
The cat and the dogs are very old
And they come to tell me goodbye, goodbye
I will never come back
In this village that I loved where you rest
Forever, from now on... )
Oh Mammy Oh Mammy Mammy Blue