Born in Lourmel, then in French Algeria and now El Amria, Pierre Groscolas was born on October 29, 1946 and studied in Toulouse, arriving there in 1962. He formed a group, Le Cœur, influenced by American and English pop and rock music, which set up and performed in Paris, before recording two singles. Author and composer of songs for other artists, guitarist and performer, Pierre Groscolas began his career in 1970 for the Tréma label, recording his first hit, "Fille du vent", the following year. After other singles, his pop title "Lady Lay " proved a hit both in France and Europe in 1973, and was featured on numerous dedicated compilations, before becoming the theme song of the Rio Carnival two years later. In 1975, his next hit "Élise " was adapted and covered in the U.S. by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Tony Orlando and other artists. His style, somewhere between French variété, pop and folk, was echoed by other songs in his repertoire, such as "Ma jeunesse au fon de l'eau" (1976), adapted into a disco version by Carol Douglas under the title "Midnight Love Affair", or "L'Homme qui vous plaît", which found a following in Japan. Pierre Groscolas also composed songs for Johnny Hallyday for the album Hamlet (1976) and Françoise Hardy ("Tamalou"). He continued his career with a new homonymous album in 1983 and tours, followed by the Best Of compilation and "Plus"... (1996), featuring previously unreleased tracks. In 2004, he released Lady Lay, in which he reinterprets some of his hits alongside covers. In 2007, Pierre Groscolas took part in the touring show Âge tendre et têtes de bois, la tournée des idoles, returning in 2009 and again in 2018 with the Âge tendre tour.
