Nanette Joan Workman was born on November 20, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, to musician parents. Her mother, Beatryce Kreisman, was a chorus singer with the New York City Opera Company, and her father, Ernest Workman, played trumpet in Tommy Dorsey's orchestra. She grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, where she studied piano and began her career at 11, appearing in the local WLBT television series Mr. Magic and later getting her own weekly show, Teen Tempos.
Nanette graduated from Provine High School and attended the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, but left college at 18 to pursue a career on Broadway. She understudied the lead in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and later played the role of Rosemary in 1964, and then the lead in summer stock.
In 1966, she met Tony Roman and recorded her first French single, "Et Maintenant", 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, hosting Fleurs D'Amours et Fleurs d'Amitie. Then in 1969, she moved to England, where she appeared weekly on Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's comedy series Two Weeks at the Savoy.
Credited as Nanette Newman, Workman sang backup vocals on "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Country Honk", tracks from the Rolling Stones' 1969 album Let it Bleed, as well as on the Stones' 1969 single, "Honky Tonk Woman". She also worked with John Lennon and Elton John. In addition, she appeared in one of the black-and-white episodes of The Benny Hill Show, performing "Everybody's Singing Like Now" on the February 24, 1971 edition.
Nanette toured France in 1973 as an opening act for Johnny Hallyday. She made three albums with Yves Martin, touring Africa, Polynesia, and Europe, prior to coming back to Quebec in 1974, where she recorded several more French albums. Lady Marmalade, Danser Danser, and especially Call Girl, placed first on the hit parades. Returning to France in 1978, she starred in the Rock Opera Starmania as Sadia. In 1979, she sang backups 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 Luc Plamondon, and toured Quebec with the show Du gramophone au laser, which recounted the history of the Québécois chanson. 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.
Nanette has one son, Jesse, born in 1987. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Découverte de l'année in 1967, Félix 45 tours le plus vendu in 1982, Félix Spectacle de l'année in 1993, Félix Album de l'année in 1994, and was inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2000.
