Emmanuel Booz

Born Alain Baumgarten in Versailles in 1943, Emmanuel Booz grew up in Vierzon in an adoptive family. As a teenager, he discovered the marginal universe of the American writers of the Beat Generation. Himself one of the first French beatniks, along with Michel Polnareff, in 1969 he adapted Arlo Guthrie's long protest text, "Alice's Restaurant", to open his first folk album Au Restaurant d'Alice, recorded in London and released by Barclay. A member of the short-lived groups Roll Mops and Egrégie, he took part in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) and composed for Nicoletta in tandem with lyricist Boris Bergman, then for the French progressive rock group Zoo, featuring violinist Michel Ripoche. Ripoche was recruited for Emmanuel Booz's second album, Le Jour Où les Vaches... (1974), where he joins William Sheller (piano, arrangements), Ivan Julien (composition, arrangements) and studio musicians. Released on the Atlantic label, it was followed two years later by Clochard (1976), featuring saxophonist and flautist François Jeanneau alongside Ripoche. Between progressive folk-rock and chanson, Emmanuel Booz signed to Polydor for the cult experimental album Dans Quel État J'Erre (1979), before joining the group F.F.I for a concert at the Place de la République during the Fête de la Musique in Paris and a single, L'Ère du nucléaire (1981). After his musical career, Emmanuel Booz became an actor and scriptwriter for film and television. He has appeared in feature films and series by Francis Huster, Fabien Oteniente, Nina Companéez, Josée Dayan, Marcel Bluwal, Christophe Gans, Anne Fontaine, Jean Marboeuf and Claude Chabrol.

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