Gilbert Montagné

An emulator of Stevie Wonder, Gilbert Montagné scored his first international hit in 1971 with "The Fool", before making a comeback in the 1980s. His premature birth in Paris on December 28, 1951 was the cause of the retinopathy that left him blind. After attending a specialized school, he discovered music and taught himself to play the piano, before buying an organ to perform in clubs. After an unsuccessful first 45-turn single in 1968, he joined his sister in Miami and studied music while performing. In 1971, at the age of twenty, he returned to Europe, to London, where he did a session with backing singers. His English-language composition, "The Fool", proved to be a Europe-wide hit, ranking #1 in France and a dozen other countries. The CBS release was followed by an album in the soul vein he loved, and was followed in 1973 by his first appearance at the Olympia. Two more albums followed, this time in French, De la Musique (1973) and Y Faut Qu'Ça Swing (1976), divided between dance tunes and romantic ballads, before he returned to the U.S. to escape stardom and get married. Returning to France in 1979, he accompanied Johnny Hallyday on piano at his concerts at the Pavillon de Paris, and recorded the bilingual album Ta Vie (1981), from which the track "Believe in Me" is taken. In 1984, he teamed up with lyricist Didier Barbelivien for the album Liberté, certified platinum thanks to two hits, No. 2 "On va s'aimer " and No. 14 "Les Sunlights des tropiques". Over time, these songs became among the most popular of the decade in France. Back at the Olympia for the next two years, Gilbert Montagné also recorded the albums Quelques Notes de Musique (1985), Vivre en Couleurs (1987) and Entre Douceur et Violence (1989). In 1990, the singer moved to Canada. He continued to compose at the keyboard on the albums Accord Magique (1991), Rien Qu'Une Amitié (1993), Comme Une Étoile (1996) and Mélange de Couleurs (1998), followed by On Va S'Aimer - À l'Olympia 98 (1999). A regular on television, Gilbert Montagné has published several books, including his autobiography Les Yeux du cœur (1997). He records Rien Sans Ton Amour (2002), the collection of soul covers Get Ready (2006) and the recitals Unplugged - Piano Voix Acoustique (2010) and Live à la Salle Gaveau (2012), on his Toucher Musique label. The musician was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1982, elevated to the rank of Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 2006 and promoted to Officier in 2020. In 2016, the tribute Gilbert Chante Bécaud was released, followed by the live album Les Folies (2019).

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