Gilbert Bécaud

Gilbert Bécaud
Bécaud in 1965
Born	François Gilbert Léopold Silly (1927-10-24)24 October 1927 Toulon, France
Died	18 December 2001(2001-12-18) (aged 74) Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Spouses	Monique Nicholas (1952-?) Kitty Saint-John (1973-?)
Children	5
Musical career
Also known as	Monsieur 100,000 Volts
Genres	Contemporary music, jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician Composer Actor
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1948–2001
Musical artist

Gilbert Bécaud (French pronunciation:

. He debuted there in 1954 and headlined in 1955, attracting 6,000 on his first night, three times the capacity. On 13 November 1997, Bécaud was present for the re-opening of the venue after its reconstruction.

Biography

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Born François Gilbert Léopold Silly[1] in Toulon, France, Bécaud learned to play the piano at a young age, and then went to the Conservatoire de Nice.^[4] 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.

In 1952, he married Monique Nicholas.^[5] They had three children.^[6]

While touring with

His first hit in the English-speaking world was

In 1973 he married Kitty Saint-John, with whom he had two children. He died of cancer at the age of 74.[6]

Career from 1960

In 1961, Bécaud wrote and recorded "Et Maintenant", one of the biggest selling singles in French history.^[4] Translated as "What Now My Love", the song became a hit by Shirley Bassey,^[2] Sonny & Cher, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Andy Williams, Herb Alpert and Frank Sinatra.^[4]

In 1962, he completed his largest composition, the 2-act opera L'Opéra d'Aran, which was premiered at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 25 October 1962 (Georges Prêtre conductor).^[8] The plot of the opera takes place on the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland, although Bécaud had never been to Ireland before.^[9]

After the opera's performances, he toured Europe and continued recording a string of pop music hits, including "

Marlene Dietrich recorded his "Marie, Marie" and performed it in her stage shows.^{[citation needed]}

He wrote the song "Nathalie" to the text by Pierre Delanoë about a female Moscow guide in 1964. Bécaud visited Moscow in 1965 allegedly invited by students.^[10] The Czech writer Bohumil Doležal commented that the song described the guide as a KGB officer.^[11] A Russian blogger claimed that guides reported to KGB officers.^[12] The song was used to soften the image of the Soviet Union, despite Pierre Delanoë's anti-Soviet views.^[13]

His song "Seul sur son étoile" became "It Must Be Him" (with English lyrics by Mack David), a hit in 1967 for the American singer Vikki Carr,^[4] 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 British singer Vince Hill under the title "Importance of Your Love".

On 19 June 1968, the American Broadcasting Company aired a half-hour colour special starring Bécaud that had been taped in Saarbrücken. Bécaud performed "Nathalie", "Mademoiselle Lise" and "The Day the Rains Came" and sang a duet with Inge Brück, "Sand and Sea". The programme also featured performances by João Gilberto, Lill Lindfors and Hans Koller.^[14]

Bécaud turned his focus more toward touring than recording in the 1970s. An example was his live performance at the festival The

• "Et maintenant"
• "(Âge tendre et) Tête de bois"
• "Dimanche à Orly"
• "Quand Jules est au violon"
• "Nathalie"
• "L'Orange"
• "Quand il est mort le poète"
• "L'important c'est la rose"
• "Je reviens te chercher"

1970s

• "C'est en septembre"
• "La Solitude ça n'existe pas"
• "L'Indifférence"
• "Un peu d'amour et d'amitié"

1980s

• "Désirée"
• "L'Amour est mort"
• "Faut faire avec"

International / local versions

• 1955: "Je t'appartiens" / "Let It Be Me" (Pierre Delanoë – Gilbert Bécaud)
• 1957: "Le Jour où la pluie viendra" / "The Day the Rains Came" (Pierre Delanoë – Gilbert Bécaud)
• 1961: "Et maintenant" / "What Now My Love" (Pierre Delanoë – Gilbert Bécaud – Elvis Presley)
• 1966: "Seul sur son étoile" / "It Must Be Him" (Maurice Vidalin – Gilbert Bécaud)
• 1966: "Plein soleil" / "Sand and Sea" (Maurice Vidalin – Gibert Bécaud)
• 1972: "Un peu d'amour et d'amitié" / "A Little Love and Understanding" (Louis Amade – Gilbert Bécaud)
• 1979: "C'est en septembre" / "September Morn" (Neil Diamond – Gilbert Bécaud)

Filmography

• 1953: Boum sur Paris as Himself
• 1956: The Country I Come From as Eric Perceval / Julien Barrère
• 1957: Casino de Paris as Jacques Merval
• 1959: Croquemitoufle as Bernard Villiers
• 1960: In 80 Takten um die Welt (TV film)
• 1962: Girl on the Road as an Air France pilot
• 1973: Un homme libre as Henri Lefèvre
• 1974: Toute une vie as Himself
• 1995: Navarro as Sarkis (French TV series)

Bibliography

• Paul-Xavier Giannoli: Bécaud. Seul sur son étoile (Paris: Librairie Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 1970)
• Bernard Reval: Becaud: L'Homme à la cravate à pois (Lattès: Les Éditions du Voyage, 1995),
  ISBN 2-9509272-0-3
• Kitty Bécaud, Laurent Balandras: Bécaud. La Première idole (Paris: Éditions Didier Carpentier, 2011),
  ISBN 978-2-84167-749-8