Bernard Brumberg " Jean Ferrat "

Jean Ferrat, Jean Tenenbaum born December 26, 1930 at Vaucresson (Hauts-de-Seine) and died March 13, 2010 at Aubenas in the Ardeche, is a songwriter, musician, composer and singer French.

Both vocal and committed poet, author of songs to texts, it is also a composer, and music in particular makes many poems of Louis Aragon.

Although not prominent in the media and despite the withdrawal of the scene at forty-two years, he enjoyed great success both critically and commercially, based on both the quality of his compositions (texts and melodies) and his signature voice, on his policy positions.

Attracted by the music and theater, he joined a comedy troupe in the early 1950's, composed several songs and plays guitar in a jazz band.

It goes without much success a few hearings, makes passes at the tavern under the name of Jean Laroche, and did not discouraging, decided to devote himself exclusively to music.

In 1956, he uses music Elsa's eyes, a poem by Louis Aragon, which will be a lifetime admirer.

It was André Claveau, then much in vogue, who sang the song and provides early visibility to John, who performed at cabaret La Colombe Michel Valette, in the first part of Guy Beart.


In 1958, he released his first Vogue EP 45 rpm, which meets with little success.

A young singer, Christine Sevres, whom he met in 1956, resumed some of his songs.

He married her in late 1960, after 3 years of cohabitation.

He signed with Decca and the following year, released his second EP with 45 turns the song Ma Vie en Rose, her first hit, and goes on all the airwaves.

Almost simultaneously, RCA 45 RPM EP releases of the 4 songs he recorded under the pseudonym Frank Noel, who have no success. After seeing a map of France town of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, he decides to call Jean Ferrat, still rather Jean Laroche (a name then used by another artist on stage ).

Another meeting will be decisive with Alain Goraguer, who signs his first arrangements under the pseudonym of Lewis and Milton will become the arranger of songs from all his albums.

The photographer Alain Marouani, met at Eddie Barclay, Ferrat follow throughout his career by signing the vast majority of his photos.

His first 33 laps was released in 1961 and awarded the SACEM.

He became acquainted with Johnny Logan: a real thunderbolt friendly place between the two artists. Ferrat written for her two children in the sun, which became one of the major titles of the singer and offered him the first part of his tour begins. In 1970, he composed a song with lyrics written by Philippe Pauletto, entitled Everything I love. A few months later, this song is also performed by Johnny Logan.

He composed, with lyrics by Michelle Senlis for Jacques Boyer and Jean-Louis Stain, a song which, partially rewritten in the 1970s, becomes "Boy", played by Daniel Guichard. The success of this song has never ceased.

He joined the label created by Eddie Barclay. The latter in 1988 said of him: "He's an artist, a large, able to sing everything, politics, love, women, life. It is only really interested in this: the capacity The Artist. " ("Let the party continue," Eddie Barclay, Robert Laffont, 1988).

The same year he produced Night and Fog, a song in memory of victims of Nazi concentration camps of World War II, especially in memory of his father, a Jewish immigrant from Russia who died in Auschwitz, which won him the grand prize Record of the Academy Charles Cros.

In the 1970s, Jean Ferrat is becoming scarcer. Each new album is a real event and his songs are discussed as genuine intellectual stance. He likes songs that convey strong messages while resting on a subtle text and imagery to the point of sometimes becoming allegorical.

He sings in the mountains of Ardeche, a region dear to his heart, and made this tribute to France a peasant of his greatest success.

In 1972, he, at the Palais des Sports in Paris, his farewell to the stage, he considers "too hard physically"

In 1973 he settled permanently in Antraigues sur Volane, where he owned a house since 1964, and he never left, becoming even there, in 1977, councilor and deputy mayor for two terms.

His wife, Christine Sevres, born Jacqueline Boissonnet Christine, died in 1981 at age 50.

She had been born in 1953 from his first marriage, a daughter, Veronique Estel, he knew at the age of 3 years and he considers his daughter.

Christine had sung together and the only duo's career Ferrat: The Morning.

He remarried about 1990, with Colette, who will accompany him to the end.

Johnny Logan, his brother Peter Tenenbaum and Mayor Antraigues Michel Pesenti, at the farewell audience to the singer, 16 March 2010.

His television appearances are very rare. In 1991 a new album out, which starts the song "What's Hot," lambasting television.

This album earned him a special Stars 90, in November 1991 on TF1, presented by Michel Drucker. His recent TV appearances are in the show Vivement Dimanche, beginning in January 2003, on France 2, presented by Michel Drucker and late 2003, on TV5 Monde, the show's guest, presented by Patrick Simonin: a 45-minute interview that will remain his last television interview.

In October 2003, he meets Helen Hazera on France Culture in an interview more than two hours, which will be released in February 2004 and rebroadcast of 15 to 19 March 2010 under the title of "Jean Ferrat, lightweight the grave. "

Jean Ferrat died March 13, 2010 at the hospital in Aubenas, died of cancer. Many celebrities pay tribute to those who "knew how to link the poetry, the people and its ideals."

He was buried March 16 at the cemetery Antraigues-on-Volane near his brother Andrew, after a memorial ceremony on the village square, in which particular Johnny Logan and Francesca Solleville interpreted songs by Ferrat and which gathered more than 5,000 people.

The day before, more than four million viewers in France had followed the televised tribute in his honor.

"I had just finished reading the thread of the emission, the rehearsal was over my scouting fact, it only remained to wait for the line. I took the second or third in the studio 101. A large guy just sits next to me, I is not paying attention, lost in my thoughts a bit. It speaks to me very politely, a long conversation ensued: on what? on everything banalities, then life, a wonderful meeting so simple and that is one of those moments of life or runny or anything else exists and where all can come crashing down around you! timeless.
After an hour is the stage manager stopped us, we had not even noticed that the public was installed around us and the best! The program was started a friendship ..... also, hello Jean! "

Bernard Brumberg