Last Saturday, March 13, French singer Jean Ferrat died at the age of 79. The man was considered as one of the best French composers, lyricists and performers of the “old school” of French chanson; just like late Georges Brassens, Léo Ferré, and Belgian Jacques Brel.
In 1962, Ferrat met Isabelle Aubret. A real friendship was born between the two artists. He wrote Deux enfants au soleil, one of the singer's most famous songs & they performed together in the same tour. Isabelle kept on covering Ferrat's most famous songs in her concert as well as on her records.Last Saturday, Isabelle (1962 French winner of the Eurovision Song Contest) was about to get on stage when the news came to her.
"I have something very sad to tell you", she said to her public, French daily La Nouvelle République reports. "Someone I like to call my uncle has died. Jean Ferrat is up there" she declared, with tears on her cheeks.In 1976, after 6 years without any public selection, French television organized a televised show in which Isabelle Aubret tried her luck with a song penned by Jean Ferrat, Je te connais déjà.Five years later, the man composed Les yeux fermés for Evelyne Geller, which placed 3rd at the 1981 French selection.
Watch Isabelle Aubret covering one of Ferrat's evergreens C'est beau la vie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a0hBHmslMI
Another song, Aimer a perdre la raison:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8RbK9arlBc
Evelyne Geller – Les yeux fermés: