French singer-songwriter Pierre Vassiliu was born on October 23, 1937 in Villecresnes, Val-de-Marne, France. After a tumultuous early adolescence, he left home at the age of 15 to become an apprentice jockey, earning his living by giving riding lessons. He then became an army photographer during the Algerian war, and joined Mireille's Petit Conservatoire on his return to civilian life. During this period, he accompanied himself on guitar and performed in numerous Parisian cabarets. Although the fashion at the time was for yéyé, he imposed his style and found his audience with his first single, "Armand", released in 1962. He went on to support the Beatles and French stars such as Claude François and Sylvie Vartan. After a number of hits, including "Alice " and "La Famille tuyau de poêle", Pierre Vassiliu joined Barclay Records, releasing his first album Amour, Amitié in 1970. Three years later, he enjoyed his greatest success with the single "Qui c'est celui-là?", a French adaptation of Chico Buarque's "Partido alto", which reached number one in the French charts and supported the 1974 compilation of the same name. Thereafter, his discography was regularly enriched by new albums and 45-tours, and Pierre Vassiliu made regular forays into television and cinema, for which he also contributed several original soundtracks. In 2008, knowing that he had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for two years, he joined the Âge tendre... la tournée des idoles tour. Based in the Hérault department since the early 2000s, he passed away in Sète on August 17, 2014 at the age of 76.
