Jean Ferrat
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| Jean Ferrat | |
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 Ferrat in 2004
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 26, 1930  Vaucresson, France |
Jean Ferrat (born Jean Tenenbaum on December 26, 1930 in Vaucresson, a suburb of Paris) is a French author, poet and singer.
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[edit] Biography
The youngest of 4 children from a modest Jewish family which moved to Versailles in 1935, Ferrat studied at the Jules Ferry College. His father was deported to Auschwitz during the war, and died there. Ferrat dropped out to help the family survive.
In the early 1950s he started in Parisian cabaret. Since then he has not attempted to adhere to any particular musical style, but remains faithful to himself, his friends and public.
In 1956, he set music to Les yeux d'Elsa (Elsa’s eyes), a Louis Aragon poem which Ferrat loved. Its interpretation by popular artist André Claveau brought Ferrat some initial recognition as a songwriter.
His first 45 RPM single was released in 1958, without success. It was not until 1959, with publisher Gérard Meys, who also became his close friend and associate, that his career started to flourish. He signed with Decca and released his second single, Ma Môme, in 1960 under the musical direction of Meys.
In 1961 Ferrat married Christine Sèvres, a singer who performed some of his songs. He also met Alain Goraguer, who became an arranger of his songs. His debut album, Deux Enfants du Soleil, was released that year. Ferrat also wrote songs for Zizi Jeanmaire and went on the road, sharing billing with her at the Alhambra for 6 months.
Nuit et Brouillard, which followed in 1963, was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque by l'Académie Charles Cros. Ferrat toured again in 1965, but stopped performing on stage in 1973.
In 1990, he received an award from the French Authors’ and Composers’ Society (SACEM).
[edit] Attitudes
Ferrat was well known for criticizing record companies, complaining that they were more interested in making money than giving opportunity to creative artists.
Ferrat claimed "not to write just to pass the time". His preferred style of writing was poetry often mixed with militant messages. For example, Nuit et Brouillard paid tribute to the deportees to Nazi concentration camps. During his career, Ferrat had some difficulty with censorship by the authorities owing to his humanist perspectives and links to communism.
He loved the poetry of Louis Aragon and Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, and devoted much effort to setting the poetry into his songs.
After his master tapes had been bought by Polygram, Ferrat re-recorded his entire back catalogue and re-issued it as an 11-volume set in 1980, as a defiant gesture to the record giant.
[edit] Discography
- 1961 : Deux enfants au soleil (Ma Môme, Federico Garcia Lorca...)
- 1963 : Nuit et brouillard (C'est beau la vie, Nous dormirons ensemble...)
- 1964 : La Montagne (Que serais-je sans toi, Hourrah ! ... )
- 1965 : Potemkine (C'est toujours la première fois, On ne voit pas le temps passer...)
- 1966 : Maria (Heureux celui qui meurt d'aimer, Un enfant quitte Paris...)
- 1967 : À Santiago (Cuba si, Les Guérilleros...)
- 1969 : Ma France (Au printemps de quoi rêvais-tu ?, L'Idole à papa...)
- 1970 : Camarade (Sacré Félicien, Les Lilas...)
- 1971 : La Commune (Les touristes partis, Aimer à perdre la raison...)
- 1971 : Ferrat chante Aragon (Le Malheur d'aimer, Robert le Diable...) sold more than 2,000,000 copies
- 1972 : À moi l'Afrique (Une femme honnête, Les Saisons...)
- 1975 : La femme est l'avenir de l'homme (Dans le silence de la ville, Un air de liberté...) sold 500,000 copies
- 1979 : Les Instants volés (Le Tiers chant, Le chef de gare est amoureux...)
- 1980 : Ferrat 80 (Le Bilan, L'amour est cerise...) declared platinum record
- 1985 : Je ne suis qu'un cri (La Porte à droite, Le Chataîgnier...)
- 1991 : Dans la jungle ou dans le zoo (Les Tournesols, Nul ne guérit de son enfance...)
- 1995 : Ferrat chante Aragon Vol. 2 (Complainte de Pablo Neruda, Les feux de Paris, Lorsque s'en vient le soir...)
- 2002 : Ferrat en scène
