Colette Magny

A committed French singer-songwriter, Colette Magny left the traditional framework of protest songs and poetry to venture into blues and free jazz. Born in Paris on October 31, 1926, she started out as a bilingual typist at the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), then resigned to embark on an artistic career at the age of 36. After starting out in a Paris cabaret on the Contrescarpe, where she sang the blues, jazz and French poets with a powerful voice, accompanying herself on guitar, Colette Magny was discovered in 1962 by Mireille Hartuch, who presented the television program Le Petit Conservatoire de Mireille. The singer was then signed by the CBS label, who commissioned her to record a debut album, best known for the song "Melocoton " (1963). Attracted to experimentation, in 1966 she produced, under Mouloudji's label, the album "Avec" Poème, whose lyrics were combined with electroacoustic music by composer André Almuró. Her commitment to political causes soon became known through the albums Vietnam 67 (1967) and Magny 68/69 (1969). In 1971, the album Feu et Rythme, awarded the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles-Cros, saw her adopt a unique, experimental style of chanson and free jazz, as confirmed by her subsequent recordings for the Le Chant du Monde label, Répression (1972), with François Tusques, Bernard Vitet, Barre Phillips and Bernard "Beb" Guérin, and Transit (1975), with the Free Jazz Workshop led by Louis Sclavis. Banned from radio and television because of her protest lyrics, Colette Magny recorded Visage-Village (1977) with the Dharma quintet and Thanakan (1981), without music, on poems by Antonin Artaud. In 1983, the album Chansons pour Titine included a number of classics played by a team of seasoned musicians including Maurice Vander, Henri Texier and Claude Barthélémy. Released on her Colette Magny Promotion label, Kevork (1989) and Inédits 91 (1992) were the last albums created by the singer, who then retired to Verfeil-sur-Seye (Tarn-et-Garonne), where she founded the Des Croches et la Lune festival in 1987. Obese since childhood, Colette Magny suffered from serious health problems, and in her last years used a wheelchair until her death in Villefranche-de-Rouergue on June 12, 1997 at the age of 70. Several streets and schools in France bear his name.

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