Gilles Servat

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Gilles Servat at Lorient

Gilles Servat is a Breton singer, born in Tarbes in southern France in 1945, into a family whose roots lay in the Nantes region of Brittany.

He spent his early childhood around Naoned/Nantes and Cholet and fell in love with Brittany, and particularly the Isle of Groix, off the coast of Morbihan a place that often features in his music.

The title song from his first album, "La blanche Hermine", the White Ermine being the national emblem of Brittany, became an anthem for those Bretons fighting for national identity and social justice.

In the 1990's he became part of the legendary "Héritage des Celtes", led by Dan Ar Braz and featuring the most famous names in Celtic music.

In 1998 he released the album "Touche pas à la Blanche Hermine" ("Don't Touch The White Ermine") as a defiant stand against the French National Front (the extreme right wing political party) who had dared to use Servat's song "La blanche Hermine" during its meetings.

Servat sings in Breton, French and English.

Servat is also an actor and accomplished writer and has written several novels inspired by Celtic myths and legends. He is also a campaigner for the Breton language and a supporter of the Skol Diwan Breton language schools.

[edit] Albums

1970: La Blanche Hermine (The White Ermine)
1971: Ki du (Black Dog)
1972: L’hirondelle (The Swallow)
1974: La liberté brille dans la nuit (Freedom Shines in the Night)
1976: Le pouvoir des mots
1977: Chantez la vie, l’amour et la mort (Sing to life, love and death)
1979: L’or et le cuivre (Gold and Copper)
1980: Hommage à René-Guy Cadou (Homage To Rene-Guy Cadou)
1981: Gilles Servat en public (Gilles Servat Live)
1982: Je ne hurlerai pas avec les loups (I will not howl with the wolves)
1985: La douleur d’aimer
1988: Mad in sérénité (Mad in Serenity)
1992: Le fleuve (The River)
1993: L’albatros fou (The Foolish Albertros) with Triskell
1994: Les albums de la jeunesse (Albums of Youth)
1995: A-raok mont kuit (Before Leaving)
1996: Litanies pour l’an 2000 (Litanies for the Year 2000) a compilation album
1996: Sur les quais de Dublin (On the Quays of Dublin)
1998: Touche pas à la Blanche Hermine (Don't Touch the White Ermine)
2000: Comme je voudrai ! (As I wish!)
2003: Escales (Stopovers) a 'Best of' album
2005: Sous le ciel de cuivre et d'eau (Under the Copper and Water Sky)
2006: Sensation [guest artist on the title track of this album by Anuna]