Jean-Jacques Goldman
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| Jean-Jacques Goldman | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 11, 1951 |
| Origin | Paris, France |
| Genre(s) | Rock, Progressive Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer–songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocalist, Guitarist, Pianist |
| Years active | 1975 - Present |
| Associated acts | Taï Phong, Les Enfoirés, Fredericks Goldman Jones |
Jean-Jacques Goldman (born October 11, 1951) is a French singer–songwriter. He is hugely popular in the French-speaking world, and in 2003 was the second-highest-grossing French pop singer, after Johnny Hallyday.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Paris to immigrant Polish Jewish parents, Alter Mojze Goldman and Ruth Ambrunn, Goldman was the third of four children. As a child, he began his music studies on the violin, then the piano. In 1968, he abandoned his classical music studies for "American Rock & Roll" as well as folk music, emphasizing the guitar. [1] He also earned a business degree from the École Des Hautes Études Commerciales, commonly known as EDHEC, in Lille. In 1972, he met Catherine, his first wife, with whom he had three children. He first entered the French music scene as member of a progressive rock group named Taï Phong ("great wind, typhoon" in Vietnamese), which released its first album in 1975. Their first song to be a moderate hit was "Sister Jane." After four years and three albums sung in English with Tai Phong, Goldman was determined to do it alone and write and sing in French.
In 1981, Marc Lumbroso heard his recording "Il suffira d'un signe" on the album Démodé and signed him to a five-album contract with Epic Records. In 1982, his first hit album Minoritaire, which included the hit song "Quand la musique est bonne", was released; subsequent albums have all been successful. In 1987, he recorded the hit single "Là-bas" with Sirima, which remained a popular song throughout the years. From 1990 to 1995, he recorded 2 studio albums, one live albums and released several and singles (such as "Nuit", "À nos actes manqués" and "Né en 17 à Leidenstadt") with Carole Fredericks and Mick Jones, which were successful. Several of these songs were recorded with English versions, but did not find much success in England or the States. In 2007, he recorded the hit "4 Mots sur un piano" with Patrick Fiori and Christine Ricol.
Jones was a Welsh singer who had settled in his mother's native France. He and Goldman scored a hit in the early 1980s with "Je te donne" ("I give you"), a bilingual song with Jones singing the English lyrics and Goldman the French.
Jean-Jacques Goldman wrote the theme for "Resto du Coeur" the eponyme song performed by les Enfoirés as the theme of the charity created by Coluche, Les restos du coeur. Throughout his career, he has frequently written other singers, notably Céline Dion, with whom he collaborated on D'eux (released in the US as The French Album), S'il suffisait d'aimer and 1 fille & 4 types, he has also collaborated with Johnny Hallyday, Patricia Kaas, Garou, Marc Lavoine, Gérald De Palmas, Patrick Fiori, Khaled ("Aïcha"), Lorie and Florent Pagny as well as Englishman Joe Cocker, and American songwriter Diane Warren.
His half-brother Pierre Goldman, a left-wing intellectual and convicted robber, was murdered in mysterious circumstances in 1979 in Paris. His younger brother Robert Goldman is also a songwriter (often known as J Kapler).
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Jean-Jacques Goldman (a/k/a Démodé) (1981, Epic)
- Jean-Jacques Goldman (a/k/a Minoritaire) (1982, Epic)
- Positif (1984, Epic)
- Non homologué (1985, Epic)
- Entre gris clair et gris foncé (1987, Epic)
- Fredericks/Goldman/Jones (1990, CBS) with Carole Fredericks and Michael Jones
- Rouge (1993, Columbia) with Red Army Choir, Carole Fredericks and Michael Jones
- En passant (1997, Columbia)
- Chansons pour les pieds (2001, Columbia)
[edit] Live albums
- En public (1986, Epic)
- Traces (1989, Epic)
- Sur scène (1992, Columbia) with Carole Fredericks and Michael Jones
- Du New Morning au Zénith (1995, Columbia) with Carole Fredericks and Michael Jones
- En passant - Tournée 1998 (1999, Columbia)
- Un tour ensemble (2003, Columbia)
[edit] Compilations
- Singulier 81/89 (1996, Columbia)
- Pluriel 90/96 (1996, Columbia) with Carole Fredericks and Michael Jones
[edit] References
- ^ His "conversion" is loosely chronicled in the song Un, deux, trois
[edit] External links
- (French) Là-bas
- (French) Sony Music's official site
- Biography of Jean-Jacques Goldman, from Radio France Internationale
- (French) JJG famille
- (French) Parler d'sa vie
- (French) Autre Part : L'univers des frères Goldman
| Preceded by Michel Jonasz |
Victoires de la Musique Male artist of the year 1986 |
Succeeded by Johnny Hallyday |
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