French lyricist and singer-songwriter born in Grenoble (France) on June 3, 1921, Jean Dréjac devoted himself early on to song as a performer, joining the Cinfonia group as a singer when he was just 17. He borrowed songs from artists such as Charles Trénet and Paul Misraki. He then tried his luck in Paris, where he was booked in a number of cabarets. At the same time, he was cast alongside Fernandel in the 1939 film L'Héritier des Mondésir, in what was to be his only film experience. World War II put the brakes on his rise to fame, but he went on to leave his mark on French chanson with songs such as "Ah! Le petit vin blanc", "Sous le ciel de Paris " and "La Chansonnette" (for Yves Montand). He was also behind such famous French adaptations as "L'Homme à la moto" for Édith Piaf and "Bleu, blanc, blond" for Marcel Amont, as well as numerous songs for Serge Reggiani, with Michel Legrand as composer. He died in Paris on August 11, 2003 at the age of 82.
