The name of Claude Francois has been known to listeners since the sixties of the last century. A lot of time has passed, but the song of the fading star of the French pop music "Comme d'habitude" is necessarily broadcast by some radio station.
In 1939, a son appeared in the family of a ship dispatcher in Egyptian Ismailia. The boy was born on February 1. Claude and sister Josette spent their childhood on the shores of the Red Sea.
A difficult path to fame
My father did not approve of music. But the mother was very good at her son’s activities. Lucia herself taught Coda to play the violin and piano. In 1945, the family moved to Monte Carlo. Father could not work. Claude became a bank employee.
He did not like the new occupation at all. After work, the young man made his way to the orchestras entertaining guests of Monaco hotels. An entrepreneurial and good player played in the team of Louis Frosio. The happiness of his son was not at all shared by his father. He did not approve of a frivolous profession. Communication has stopped forever.
Claude was sure of future success. He dreamed of singing. The orchestra did not provide such an opportunity. But he got a chance at the Provencal hotel in the resort of Juan-les-Pins. The leadership was captivated by the appearance of the charming guy, and his voice, and sentimental repertoire. Fame came quickly. Fans appeared with her. Their number grew constantly.
In nightclubs, Claude did not want to speak. He decided to conquer Paris. By the end of 1961, he moved the whole family there. Rock and roll dominated the stage. A twist with a jive caught on. I decided to find myself and Claude in this direction. He got into the Les Gamblers group to Olivier Despaks. The first disk in 1962 did not bring glory. Francois was not going to give up.
Success came with the song "Belles belles belles". After that, she sounded in the favorite youth program "Hello, friends!" Claude Francois is a hundred rising star.
Recognition and success
A real solo career started with the impresario Paul Lederman. At first, the singer performed with more famous performers and released records as collections with their compositions. However, it quickly became clear that the super-energetic young vocalist was overshadowing everyone else. One after another new hits appeared. Claude's creativity peaked.
Behind all the problems. After the release of the new song "La ferme du bonheur", the singer built a country house. He loved to rest in the garden. In early autumn 1964, the first entry of François into the famous Olympia took place. The success was overwhelming. Especially soulful was created under the influence of parting with the beloved "J'y pense et puis j'oublie".
In 1965, new hits came out. Among them were "Meme si tu revenais" and "Les choses de la maison". A significant achievement was the participation in the program "Musicorama". The singer recorded his own version of Cinderella. In 1966 he created the dance group "Les Claudettes". The idea of a group of four girls for dancing appeared in 1965 in Las Vegas.
Success in everything reached incredible heights. After completing the contract with Philips, Code decided to start his own business. He organized the label "Disk Flash" and became completely independent. Almost all of the most famous soloist fines are French re-hits of world hits. However, "Comme d'habitude" was French initially.
It was translated into English by Paul Ankh, and only then began to be performed by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. World fame for the composition came under the name "My Way".
