Gilbert Bécaud(1927-2001)

Born in Toulon on 24 October 1927, Gilbert Bécaud was introduced to music at a very early age and started playing the piano well before attending the Nice conservatoire at age nine. Accepted by the Sacem at the age of 20, Gilbert Bécaud composed film scores on several occasions before only gradually taking an interest in songs (the French lyricist Pierre Delanoé wrote his first song "Mes mains"). He also composed music for Edith Piaf, such as "Je t'ai dans la peau". A meeting in 1952 with the poet Louis Amade gave birth to the song "Les Croix". Bécaud's singing career took off with his first super-45 featuring three tracks, "Mes mains","Viens","Quand tu danses". These songs were recorded under the His Master Voice label (now EMI), a record company that has supported Bécaud since the beginning.