Gilbert Bécaud

French singer-songwriter Gilbert Bécaud was born in Toulon on October 24, 1927, and died on December 18, 2001. Real name Gilbert Silly, he learned to play the piano at an early age and studied at the Nice Conservatoire before the outbreak of the Second World War. After the war, he moved to Paris and began his career in cabarets, before accompanying singer Jacques Pills on a tour of the United States in 1950. After writing songs for Marie Bizet, he penned the hit "Je t'ai dans la peau" for Édith Piaf, and won public acclaim in 1953 with "Mes mains" and "Les Croix". His first headline appearance at the Olympia, in February 1955, caused an unprecedented furore, resulting in broken seats and earning him the nickname "Monsieur 100,000 volts". Gilbert Bécaud was a record-breaker in terms of concerts at the Paris venue, performing there more than thirty times until 1999. Bécaud's hits quickly multiplied, both in France and abroad, starting with "Je t'appartiens " (1955), which was adapted by The Everly Brothers under the title "Let It Be Me" and covered worldwide, notably by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. After "Les Marchés de Provence" (1956) and "Salut les copains " (1957), which gave its title to a famous magazine, his song "Le jour où la pluie viendra" (1957) was a hit for Jane Morgan in the UK under the title "The Day the Rain Came". In 1961, "Tête de bois" inspired the name of a TV show, while "Et maintenant" became an international hit in its English-language version, "What Now My Love?", performed by Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams, among others. In 1962, he presented L'Opéra d'Arran, a lyrical work that was later re-recorded and toured. In 1964, "Dimanche à Orly" and "Nathalie" were released, followed in 1967 by "Seul sur son étoile", performed by Vicki Carr under the title "It Must Be Him". In 1976, Gilbert Bécaud, who recorded several songs from his repertoire in English, Italian, Spanish and German, scored a hit with "A Little Love and Understanding", which reached the UK top 10. He also composed songs for Neil Diamond, notably for the film The Jazz Singer (1980). Despite a less prosperous period at the end of the 1970s, Gilbert Bécaud remained at the forefront of the music scene with songs such as "Quand il est mort le poète" and "L'important c'est la rose". In 1986, he wrote the Broadway musical Madame Roza, then continued recording until the album Faut Faire Avec (1999). An inveterate smoker, he died of lung cancer at the age of 74.