Gilbert Becaud
b. Francois Silly, 24 October 1927, Toulon, France. A popular singer-songwriter in France in the '50s and '60s, rivalling Charles Trenetand Charles Aznavour, Becaud studied music in Nice and started writing songs around 1946. His first collaborator was lyricist Pierre Delanoe in 1946. One of their first successes was Je T'ai Dans La Peau for Edith Piaf in 1950. He served as an accompanist for Piaf, and other artists such as Jacques Pills. Later he sang in cabaret, and made his first stage appearance in 1952 at Versailles. Two years later a dramatic performance at the Olympia Music Hall gained him the title of Monsieur 1000 Volts, and elevated him to national stardom. In the early '50s he had hit records with Les Croix, Quand Tu Danses and Mes Mains. Later successes included Dimanche A Orly, Le Jour Ou La Pluie Viendra, Couventine, Heureusement, Y'a Les Copains, Viens Danser and Tu Le Regretteras. In 1958, his The Day The Rains Came, written with Delanoe and Carl Sigman, became a UK number 1 for Jane Morgan, and in 1962, Morgan also recorded their What Now My Love, although it was Shirley Bassey's dramatic version which had the most chart impact. The The Everly Brothers took Becaud's Je T'appartiens and in 1960 the translated version appeared as Let It Be Me. The song was revived by Sonny And Cher in 1966 and was later covered by many other artists including Frank Sinatra. In the following year, Vikki Carr's emotive rendering of It Must Be Him (Seul Sur Son Etoile), written with lyricist Mack David, made both the US and UK Top 5. Becaud himself had a UK hit in 1975 with A Little Love And Understanding, written with Marcel Stellman. His other collaborators included Louis Amade Maurice Vidalin, and the English librettist and lyricist, Julian More, with whom he worked on ROZA, the 1987 Broadway musical based on Romain Gary's novel, LA VIE DEVANT SOI’. The show closed after 12 performances.