Félix Mayol

A French music-hall monument in the early 20th century, the performer of "La Paimpolaise" and "Viens, poupoule!" was born in Toulon on November 18, 1872. The son of a Provençal milliner and a Breton gunner, both amateur singers and actors, he began performing on stage at the age of six, before being orphaned at thirteen. Placed with his uncle, he was destined to become a pastry chef and, after his debut in Toulon, performed at the Alcazar in Marseille under the name Petit Ludovic. Hired for a month at the Casino de Toulon in 1892, he moved to Paris three years later, after his military service, and sang for five years at the Concert Parisien, where his popularity grew steadily. Famous for his reddish quiff, he launched the fashion for a sprig of lily of the valley in the lapel, and scored his first hit in 1896 with Théodore Botrel's "La Paimpolaise", followed by "À la cabane bambou" (1899) and the immortal "Viens, poupoule! " ( 1902), as well as many others over the course of a thirty-year career, including "La Mattchiche" (1905), "Ah, le joli jeu!" (1907), "Bou-dou-ba-da-bouh" (1913) and "L'Autre cortège" (1916). Performer of almost 500 songs, Mayol also appeared at the Eldorado and La Scala, shot thirteen "phonoscènes" (ancestors of the video clip) with director Alice Guy for the Gaumont company, and three feature films, including Alexander Korda's La Dame de chez Maxim's (1933). In 1907, he tried his hand at operetta with Cinderella at La Scala, and created the shows Les Mains de femmes and Cousine, whose triumph enabled him to buy the Concert Parisien in 1910, renaming it Concert Mayol. His career continued after the Second World War, culminating in his seven farewells in 1938, before he retired to his home town. After sharing his memories in Mémoires recueillis (1929) and supporting the Toulon rugby club, Félix Mayol died on October 26, 1941 at the age of 68.

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