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Pierre Vassiliu

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Pierre Vassiliu
Pierre Vassiliu performing at a concert in Cambieure in 2004.
Pierre Vassiliu performing at a concert in Cambieure in 2004.
Background information
Born(1937-10-23)23 October 1937
Villecresnes, Seine-et-Oise, France
Died17 August 2014(2014-08-17) (aged 76)
Sète, Hérault, France
OccupationsMusician, songwriter, actor
LabelsDecca
Barclay
RCA

Pierre Vassiliu (23 October 1937 – 17 August 2014) was a French singer, songwriter and actor.[1]

His first record, "Armand", co-written with his brother Michel, appeared in 1962. It was an enormous success, selling 150,000 copies.[citation needed] This opened the doors of the Olympia in Paris to him, where he opened for the Beatles in 1964.[2] He went on to a two-month stand with Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc, and Johnny Hallyday. He had a string of hits, including "Charlotte", "Ivanhoe", and "La femme du sergent", censored because of the Algerian War.

His 1973 song "Qui c'est celui-là?" was a cover of the 1972 song Partido Alto by Chico Buarque.[3] It sold more than 300,000 copies and secured for him a place in the memories of the teenagers of the time.[4]

With his vocal trio, he resurrected the old French song "Belle qui tiens ma vie", sung a cappella.

In 2002, he covered Boby Lapointe's "L'Été, où est-il ?" with Thallia on the album Boby Tutti-Frutti – L'hommage délicieux à Boby Lapointe by Lilicub.

In 2003, he made a CD with Senegalese griots of the Kalone Orchestra of Casamance. Vassiliu lived a part of his life in the Casamance, the region of Senegal lying to the south of the Gambia.

He died in his sleep in 2014, after years of battling Parkinson's.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Le chanteur Pierre Vassiliu est mort". Le Monde.fr (in French). Lemonde.fr. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  2. ^ Popular music - The Beatles Julian
  3. ^ "Pierre Vassiliu cover of Chico Buarque's 'Partido Alto' | WhoSampled"
  4. ^ a b "Pierre Vassiliu, il a eu une drôle de vie, ce type-là – Libération"
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