GILBERT
BECAUD (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
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,
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.
On June 19, 1968 the American Broadcasting Company aired a half-hour
color special starring Bécaud that had been taped in Saarbrucken,
Germany. Bécaud performed Nathalie, Mademoiselle Lise and The Day
The Rains Came and sang a duet with Inge Brück, Sand and Sea. The
program also featured performances by João Gilberto, Lill Lindfors
and Hans Koller.
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.
(Info Wikipedia) |
