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Johnny Hallyday

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Johnny Hallyday
Hallyday in 2003
Hallyday in 2003
Background information
Birth nameJean-Philippe Léo Smet
Born(1943-06-15)15 June 1943
Paris, France
DiedDecember 5, 2017(2017-12-05) (aged 74)
Marnes-la-Coquette, France
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • Musician
  • Actor
Years active1959-2017
Labels
Websitewww.johnnyhallyday.com

Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (French pronunciation: [dʒɔ.ni a.li.dɛ(j)], 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French[2][3][4] singer and actor.[5] In a career spanning 57 years, Hallyday completed 181 tours, had 18 platinum albums, and sold more than 110 million records worldwide,[6] making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.[7][8]

Early life

Johnny Hallyday was born as Jean-Philippe Léo Smet on June 15th 1943[9], in the Cité Malesherbes in Paris, son of Huguette Clerc (french by birth, beautician. model. lived in Marseille [10] ) and Léon Smet a Belgian actor, danser et singer (formed at the Conservatoire de Bruxelles)[11]. When the parents parents separated a few months later, Hélène Mar, Léon's sister, took him into care. Form 1944, she took him on tour with her two daughters, Desta and Menen, who were dancers. This itinerant existence he missed out on his education and and learnt the guitar at the beginning of the fifties. [12] At the age of only nine, he was already performing on stage, singing.

Quoting the RFI music website ([13] : "In 1957, however, seeing "Lovin' You", starring Elvis Presley in the cinema in Paris, he knew what he wanted to be: a rock'n'roll singer. On December 30th 1959, he appeared in the television programme, "Paris Cocktail", performing alongside Colette Renard. Jacques Wolfsohn, artistic director of Vogue records signed him immediately. In March 1960 Johnny Hallyday's first record came out (the name was borrowed from Lee Halliday, his cousin's boyfriend). The disc, a four-track EP, included "T'aimer follement", a cover version of a Dalida song. In June his second record, "Souvenirs souvenirs", was released, his first hit. In September, he did his first major live performance at the Alhambra in Paris, doing the first half of comedian Raymond Devos's show. His friends from the Golf Drouot came were there en masse and the atmosphere was electric, especially when the young singer rolled around on stage, something which had never been done before in France. "

He took his stage name after his cousin's Oklahoma-born husband, who performed as Lee Halliday.[9]

Career

Influenced by Elvis Presley and the 1950s rock n' roll revolution, Hallyday became known for singing rock 'n' roll in French. His debut single, "Laisse les filles" was released on the Vogue label in March 1960.[14] His first album, Hello Johnny, was released in 1960.[15] In 1961 his cover of "Let's Twist Again" sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[16] It topped almost every European chart, although the track did not appear in the UK Singles Chart.[17] He appeared on the American The Ed Sullivan Show with American singing star Connie Francis in a show that was taped at the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris. He also staged many appearances in the Paris Olympia under the management of Bruno Coquatrix. For their first concert, The Jimi Hendrix Experience opened for Johnny Hallyday in Nancy on 14 October 1966. Film footage, also from October 1966, exists of Hallyday partying with Hendrix, his manager Chas Chandler and others.[18] He also socialised with Keith Richards and Bob Dylan.[19]

Hallyday in 1965

At the end of the 1960s, Hallyday made a string of albums with Mick Jones and Tommy Brown as musical directors, and Big Jim Sullivan, Bobby Graham and Jimmy Page as session musicians. These are Jeune homme, Rivière... Ouvre ton lit (aka Je suis né dans la rue) and Vie. On Je suis né dans la rue, Hallyday also hired both Peter Frampton and the Small Faces. Amongst their contributions are the songs "Amen (Bang Bang)", "Reclamation (News Report)", and "Regarde pour moi (What You Will)", which are variations of Small Faces and Humble Pie (Frampton's band) songs—tracks and they all play on the album. Often forgotten is Hallyday's non-LP single and EP track "Que je t'aime" from the same sessions.[20] By 1969 alone, his sales of records exceeded twelve million.[16]

One of Hallyday's later concerts, 100% Johnny: Live à la tour Eiffel in 2000, attracted an audience of 500,000 and 9.5 million television viewers (the show was broadcast live on French TV).[5] In December 2005, Hallyday had his third number-one single in France, "Mon plus beau Noël" (after "Tous ensemble" and "Marie"), dedicated to his adopted daughter Jade. Shortly before announcing his retirement from touring, he released a blues-flavored album, Le Cœur d'un homme, on 12 November 2007. The album hit No. 1 in both France and French-speaking Belgium. In addition to the lead single "Always", Le Cœur d'un homme features "T'aimer si mal", a duet with blues musician Taj Mahal and "I Am the Blues", an English-language song written for Hallyday by U2's lead singer Bono. His next album, Ça ne finira jamais, released in 2008, another No. 1 on the French album chart, and its lead single, "Ça n'finira jamais", also reached No. 1. In 2008 he recorded a series of acoustic songs with French musician Drexl Jonez. Hallyday's most recent album, also a No. 1 hit in France, is Tour 66: Stade de France 2009, a live set recorded at Stade de France during his farewell tour with appearances by Drexl Jonez on the guitar.[citation needed]

Personal life and death

Marriages

Sylvie Vartan in 1966

Hallyday was married to Bulgarian-French singer Sylvie Vartan from 1965 to 1980.[21] Their son David Hallyday, born in 1966, later married Alexandra Pastor, the daughter of Monegasque businessman Michel Pastor.[22] Hallyday was married to his second wife, Babeth Étienne for two months and two days in January-February 1982.[23] A four-year relationship with French actress Nathalie Baye followed; their daughter Laura Smet was born on 15 November 1983.[24] He was married to his third wife Adeline Blondieau twice: from 1990 to 1992, and from 1994 to 1995.[25] He was married to Laeticia Boudou from 25 March 1996 until his death. The couple adopted two girls from Vietnam: Jade Odette Désirée, born 3 August 2004 (formerly Bui Thi Hoa), in November 2004,[26] and Joy (Maï-Huong), born 27 July 2008, in December 2008.

Laeticia Hallyday, his fifth wife.

Residence

Hallyday was the owner of a chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland to escape the high tax rate imposed by the French government from 2006 to 2015.[27] Hallyday said that he would have moved his residency back to France if it had changed its tax laws.[28] However, Hallyday resided in Los Angeles.[9] In January 2014, Hallyday said that his current residence was in the United States after an investigation by Swiss journalist showed that Hallyday did not spend enough time in Gstaad to qualify as a resident.[29] One of his favorite leisure activities was riding his Harley-Davidson on long trips through the California desert, staying in small motels along the way.[30]

Illness and death

In July 2009, Hallyday was diagnosed with colon cancer,[31] and underwent surgery. On 26 November 2009,[32] Hallyday underwent surgery in Paris to repair a herniated disc. He suffered complications and was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Doctors announced that they had put Hallyday into a medically-induced coma so they could repair lesions that had formed as a result of the surgery, and to relieve his pain. On 17 December, Hallyday and his wife started legal proceedings against Dr. Stephane Delajoux, who had performed the original surgery.[33] The conflict was resolved in February 2012 following Delajoux's vindication by medical investigators.[34] Hallyday died of lung cancer shortly before midnight on 5 December 2017 in Marnes-la-Coquette, near Paris, at the age of 74.[9][35][36] French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute, saying he "transcended generations and is etched in the memory of every Frenchman".[37]

Legacy

Hallyday was called "the French Elvis".[38][39][40] He remained largely unknown outside the Francophone world, thus earning the nickname "the biggest rock star you've never heard of" in English-speaking countries.[30][41][42] Nevertheless, by French people he was still considered the only non-Anglophone rock musician to have a large international reputation.[43] He was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 1997.[44]

Discography

Main article: Johnny Hallyday discography

Films

Works

  • Hallyday, Johnny; Sthers, Amanda (2014). Dans mes yeux : Johnny Hallyday se raconte à Amanda Sthers. Paris: Pocket. ISBN 9782266236225. OCLC 887560125.

See also

References

  1. ^ Huey, Steve. "Johnny Hallyday". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Johnny Hallyday renonce à la nationalité belge". Le Monde (in French). 22 October 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  3. ^ "Miles Kington: Johnny Hallyday - Legendary for being legendary?". The Independent. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Johnny Hallyday rocks Brussels' blues away". RFI. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Johnny Hallyday – Site Officiel". Johnnyweb.fr. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Johnny Hallyday à la conquête du Kremlin" (in French). Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. ^ Henley, Jon (3 August 2004). "French rock star wins back his music". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Singer Hallyday to quit touring". BBC News. 3 December 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  9. ^ a b c d The Guardian, Johnny Hallyday French rock star dies aged 74 lung cancer
  10. ^ Hallyday 1979, p. 7-10.
  11. ^ Who's Who in France, édition 2008, p. 1099
  12. ^ French wiki Smet family genealogy [1]
  13. ^ Rfi website from Wayback machine [2]
  14. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 80. ISBN 0-600-57602-7. CN 5585.
  15. ^ [3] Archived 20 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ a b Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  17. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 101. ISBN 0-600-57602-7. CN 5585.
  18. ^ "VIDEO. Quand Jimi Hendrix et Johnny Hallyday tournaient en Lorraine en 1966". Republicain Lorrain. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Quand Jimi Hendrix Faisait la Première Partie de Johnny Hallyday". Le Journal de Dimanche. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  20. ^ [Frampton and Small Faces contribution on 1969 album.] Steve Marriott – All Too Beautiful... (Paulo/Hellier) ISBN 1-900924-44-7 p.324
  21. ^ "Mort de Johnny Hallyday : Sylvie Vartan a le cœur "brisé"". Paris Match. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  22. ^ Cohen, Arnault (6 December 2017). "Le prince Albert II parle de Johnny Hallyday: les 5 choses à retenir". Monaco Matin. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  23. ^ Royer, Marion (6 December 2017). "Mort de Johnny Hally­day : Babeth, l'épouse oubliée". Gala. Retrieved 7 December 2017. {{cite news}}: soft hyphen character in |title= at position 21 (help)
  24. ^ "Mort de Johnny Hally­day : son ex Natha­lie Baye réagit sur les réseaux sociaux". Voici. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017. {{cite news}}: soft hyphen character in |title= at position 21 (help)
  25. ^ Rousset, Virginie (6 December 2017). "Mort de Johnny Hally­day – Adeline Blon­dieau, la femme qu'il a épou­sée deux fois". Gala. Retrieved 7 December 2017. {{cite news}}: soft hyphen character in |title= at position 21 (help)
  26. ^ "Johnny Hallyday". Nndb.com. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  27. ^ Louaguef, Sarah (5 February 2015). "Johnny Hallyday vend son chalet pour 9,5 millions d'euros". Paris Match. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  28. ^ "Entertainment | Hallyday exile row gets political". BBC News. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  29. ^ "French rocker prefers California to Gstaad". swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  30. ^ a b "Le fin for the original French pop idol". The Independent. London. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  31. ^ "Johnny Hallyday tour cancelled because of health problems". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  32. ^ "French rocker Johnny Hallyday in induced coma". The Daily Telegraph. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  33. ^ "Entertainment News, Celebrity and Pop Culture". ABC News. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  34. ^ "Johnny Hallyday comes to agreement with doctor after long-running dispute – The Connexion". connexionfrance.com. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  35. ^ "Johnny Hallyday, the Elvis Presley of France, Is Dead at 74". The New York Times. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  36. ^ "Johnny Hallyday: French rock star dies at 74". BBC. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  37. ^ "Les réactions de politiques à la mort de Johnny Hallyday". Le Monde. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  38. ^ Christopher Muther (8 May 2014). "Johnny Hallyday is more than just a French Elvis". Boston Globe. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  39. ^ Marc Myers (19 April 2012). ""French Elvis" Plays America". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  40. ^ "Rock legend Johnny Hallyday in coma after surgery". Daily Mail. London. 13 December 2009.
  41. ^ Willsher, Kim; Stares, Justin (15 January 2006). "Go, go Johnny go – but to Belgium?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  42. ^ Samuel, Henry (11 May 2009). "End of the road for France's Elvis". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  43. ^ "Blognotice 23 June 2013: "Johnny vu par Dagmar Gilcher"". Cneffpaysages.blog.lemonde.fr. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  44. ^ "ORDRE DE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR Décret du 31 décembre 1996 portant promotion et". JORF. 1997 (1): 29. 1 January 1997. PREX9612816D. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  45. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Johnny Hallyday". British Film Institute. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johnny Hallyday.
Preceded by Victoires de la Musique
Male artist of the year
1987 		Succeeded by
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