Simone Langlois

Simone Langlois was born in Paris on November 22, 1932. From the age of four, she was introduced to singing when she accompanied her mother on the street or in cafés. Despite the sudden stop caused by the Second World War, Simone Langlois quickly recorded her first compositions at the age of thirteen. She was soon performing at the Trois Baudets, where most of her songs were covers of Edith Piaf. Langlois gradually built up a reputation in the capital, then crossed paths with Jacques Canetti, Jacques Brel's producer, who put the two artists in touch. From 1958 onwards, they worked together on songs such as "Un Soir À Bethléem", followed by 45-tours composed by the Belgian for the singer: "Au Printemps", "Je Ne Sais Pas" and the famous "Ne Me Quitte Pas", which Simone performed a few months before Jacques Brel himself. The same year, Simone Langlois met Charles Aznavour, who composed new songs for her, including "Une Enfant " and "Sarah", unveiled a first album, N°1 on the Fontana label, and went on to win the Grand Prix du disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros. After working with French chanson stars such as Guy Béart and Leny Escudero, the singer went on to play a series of concerts, including the Olympia in 1961 and Bobino in 1965. Building on her success, she produced new albums, Alors (1961) for Philips, Chante Edith Piaf (1971) for Vega, and launched into the Berthe Sylva repertoire with her Hommage À Berthe Sylva in 1973. While Simone Langlois came close to taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980, she subsequently kept a low profile. She made a remarkable comeback much later, in 2011, when she performed "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and then "Hier Encore" in the competition La France A Un Incroyable Talent, which took her all the way to the semi-finals.

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