Joseph Ira Dassin (November 5, 1938 – August 20, 1980), more commonly known as Joe Dassin, was an American/French/Jewish singer-songwriter. Joe was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin and Béatrice Launer, a Hungarian virtuos violinist. He began his childhood first in New York City and Los Angeles. However, after his father fell victim to the Hollywood blacklist in 1950, he and his family moved from place to place across Europe, thereafter. After studying at the International School of Geneva and the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, Dassin moved back to the United States to go to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After college, he moved back to France where, while working at a radio station, a record label convinced him to begin to record his songs. By the early 1970s, Dassin's songs were on the top of the charts in France and he had become very well known. He was also a talented polyglot, recording songs in German, Russian, Spanish, Italian and Greek, as well as French and English. Dassin married Maryse (real first name: Yvette) Massiéra on January 18, 1966, in Paris. Their son, Joshua, was born two and a half months before term, September 12, 1973, and died 5 days after. Devastated, Joe and Maryse split, but weren't actually divorced until 1977. January 14, 1978, Joe married Christine Delvaux in Colignac (Var). They had two sons, Jonathan (born Sept.14th, 1978) and Julien (March 22, 1980). Christine died in December 1995. Joe Dassin died of a heart attack during a vacation to Tahiti on August 20, 1980. His body is interred in the Beth Olen Mausoleum section of Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
Gilbert Bécaud (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer and actor, known as Monsieur 100,000 Volts[for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et Maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love". For nearly fifty years France hummed the melodies of this music hall star, dark blue suited, white shirted, and always wearing his lucky tie - blue with white polka dots. When asked to explain his gift he said, - 'A flower doesn't understand botany.' His favourite venue was the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On the 13 November 1997 Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction. Born François Silly in Toulon, Bécaud learned to play the piano at a young age, and then went to the Conservatoire de Nice. In 1942, he left school to join the French Resistance during World War II. He began songwriting in 1948, after meeting Maurice Vidalin, who inspired him to write his early compositions. He began writing for Marie Bizet; Bizet, Bécaud and Vidalin became a successful trio, and their partnership lasted until 1950. While touring with Jacques Pills as a pianist, Bécaud met Édith Piaf, the wife of Jacques Pills at the time. He began singing at her suggestion in 1953, with "Mes Mains" and "Les Croix". His first performance came the year after. His hits in the later part of the decade included "La Corrida" (1956), "Le Jour où la Pluie Viendra" (1957) and "C'est Merveilleux L'amour" (1958). His first hit in the English-speaking world was Jane Morgan's cover version of "Le Jour où la Pluie Viendra" (as "The Days The Rains Came", with English lyrics by Carl Sigman) in 1958. He began acting in the same period, starting with 1956's Le Pays D'où Je Viens. In 1960, he won a Grand Prix du Disque and composed "L'enfant à L'étoile", a Christmas cantata. That same year, "Let It Be Me", an English version of his "Je t'appartiens", became a hit for the Everly Brothers,[2] followed, over the years, by Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Jerry Butler, Sam & Dave, and James Brown. In 1961, Bécaud wrote and recorded "Et Maintenant", one of the biggest selling singles in French history. Translated as "What Now My Love", the song became a hit by Shirley Bassey, Sonny & Cher, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Andy Williams, Herb Alpert, and Frank Sinatra. After writing the opera L'opéra d'Aran, Bécaud toured Europe and continued recording a string of pop music hits, including "Tu le Regretteras". He also co-wrote "Love on the Rocks" with Neil Diamond which was featured on the soundtrack of The Jazz Singer and was an international hit. In addition, he co-wrote "September Morn" with Neil Diamond. Marlene Dietrich recorded his "Marie, Marie" and performed it in her stage shows. His song "Seul sur son Etoile" became "It Must Be Him" (with English lyrics by Mack David), a hit in 1967 for the U.S. singer, Vikki Carr, and the following year another Bécaud song, "L'Important c'est la Rose" was given an English lyric (by Norman Newell) and became a hit for the UK singer, Vince Hill under the title "Importance of Your Love". Focusing more on touring than recording into the 1970s, Bécaud did some acting work and finally took time off in 1973, citing exhaustion. In 1974, he was named Chevalier in the Légion d'honneur. The following year he scored his one and only entry on the UK Singles Chart with "A Little Love And Understanding" which reached number 10 in the Spring. Later in the century, he began writing with Pierre Grosz and then Neil Diamond, also penning the Broadway musical Roza with Julian More. In 1982, he recorded the duet "L'amour est Mort" with Québécoise singer Martine St. Clair at the start of her career. The 1990s saw a slowdown of Bécaud's activity, releasing various compilations and touring occasionally. In December 2001 he died from cancer, aged 74, on his houseboat on the Seine and was interred in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Becaud's song catalogue, running to around 450 songs, is published by BMG Music Publishing. Becaud's song "L'Orange" was also the featured track in one of the trailer of the movie Léon (aka The Professional) by Luc Besson.
Sylvie Vartan (born 15 August 1944) is a French pop singer. Vartan was born in Iskretz, Sofia Province, Bulgaria. Her father Georges was a Bulgarian of Armenian descent. He worked as an attaché at the French embassy in Sofia. Her mother Illona was Hungarian. In September 1944, when the Soviet Army occupied Bulgaria, the Vartanian family house was nationalized and they moved to Sofia. In 1952, Dako Dakovski, a film director and her fathers' friend offered Sylvie a role of a schoolgirl in the movie Pod igoto. The film was about Bulgarian rebels against the Turkish occupation. Being a part of the film had a lasting impression on her and made her dream of becoming an entertainer. The promiscuity and privations of the postwar Bulgaria made the family emigrate to Paris in December 1952. She was one of the first rock girls in France. Vartan was the most productive and active artist of the yé-yé girls, being considered as the toughest-sounding of her genre. Her performance often featured elaborate show-dance choreography She made appearances on French and Italian TV, including the songs "Cette lettre-là" and "Irresistiblement". Giving shows with her husband Johnny Hallyday she yearly enjoyed full houses at the Olympia and the Palais des congrès de Paris throughout the Sixties and Mid-Seventies After a break in performances, she began recording and giving concerts of jazz ballads in the French speaking countries again in late 2004. (Wikipédia)
Françoise Hardy (Paris, 17 de Janeiro de 1944) é uma cantora e compositora francesa. Françoise cresceu com a irmã, Michèle, e a mãe num pequeno apartamento em Paris. Quando terminou o ensino secundário, o seu pai ofereceu-lhe uma guitarra e Françoise começou a compor canções. A sua mãe estimula-a a ingressar na universidade e Françoise matricula-se na Faculdade de Ciências Políticas na Sorbonne, tendo depois mudado para Letras. No entanto, não chegou a concluir nenhum curso, descobrindo na música a sua vocação. Em 1961, com apenas dezessete anos, assinou um contrato com a editora discográfica "Vogue". No ano seguinte Françoise alcança grande sucesso internacional com a canção "Tous les garçons et les filles" (mais de dois milhões de cópias vendidas), à qual continua associada até hoje. Por esta altura Françoise conheceu o fotógrafo Jean-Marie Périer, com quem manteve uma relação amorosa até 1967. Em 1963, participou no Festival Eurovisão da Canção como representante do Mónaco com o tema "L’amour s’en va", tendo alcançado o quinto lugar no concurso. No ano seguinte, é a vez do Festival de San Remo, na Itália, onde Françoise canta "Parla mi di te". Em 1967 iniciou uma relação sentimental com o músico Jacques Dutronc, o seu parceiro até hoje, com o qual teve um filho, Thom, em 1973. Em 1971 lançou o disco "La question", resultado de uma colaboração estreita com a cantora e guitarista brasileira, Tuca. Em 1988 Françoise anunciou que se retiraria do mundo da música e lança aquele que supostamente seria o seu último disco, "Décalages". Apesar da sua intenção, a retirada não se verifica e em 1993 grava um dueto com Alain Lubrano, "Si ça fait mal", uma canção sobre o vírus da sida. Dois anos depois assina um contrato com a editora Virgin e em 1996 lança o álbum "Le danger". Françoise Hardy regressou ao mundo dos discos em Novembro de 2004 com a edição de "Tant des belles choses", aclamado pela crítica.
Mireille Mathieu(Avinhão, 22 de Julho de 1946) é uma famosa cantora francesa, tendo interpretado canções em diversos idiomas. Nascida ao Sul da França, é filha de um operário, Roger e da dona-de-casa Marcelle, que enfrentaram grandes dificuldades económicas para criar seus quatorze filhos: Mirielle (a mais velha), Monique, Christiane, Marie-France, Réjane, Régis, Guy, Roger, Jean-Pierre, Rémy, Simone, Philippe, Béatrice e Vincent. Sua família viveu durante anos em uma modestíssima casa de madeira, sentindo na pele o rigor do inverno e da chuva, que atravessavam as frágeis paredes. Mesmo quebrando pedras (literalmente), Roger, seu pai, alimentava o sonho de poder cantar, visto que possuía uma bela voz de tenor. Neste ambiente, Mireille cresceu e herdou o talento musical do pai. Aos quinze anos, quando debutante, Mireille e sua família conseguiram um apartamento de cinco cômodos e ela pôde, enfim, tomar um banho quente e decente. Segundo ela mesma, este foi o dia mais feliz de sua vida. Grande admiradora de Edith Piaf, Mireille cantou em público pela primeira vez aos quatro anos. Um pouco precoce, Mireille cantava na igreja já aos quatro anos e com esta idade cantou na Missa do Galo da Igreja Matriz de sua cidade. Porém, para se tornar uma grande estrela internacional, não bastava apresentar-se para a família e os amigos, que a apelidaram “ la vie en rose “, por motivos óbvios.
